UIDAI directive says only resident Indians are eligible for Aadhaar

Despite clear directions from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on the applicability of Aadhaar as an identity document, non-resident Indians (NRIs) are having a harrowing time in accessing government services and registering land deeds as the Revenue Department is insisting on the biometric identification number.

UIDAI chief executive officer Ajay Bhushan Pandey recently issued an order after representations from NRIs, Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) pointing out that they are being asked to produce Aadhaar to avail themselves of government benefits and services.

Mr. Pandey had asked Central government departments and State governments as well as implementing agencies to keep in mind that Aadhaar as a document may be sought only from those who are eligible for Aadhaar and most of the NRIs, PIOs, OCIs may not be eligible for Aadhaar enrolment as per the Aadhaar Act of 2016.

Most NRIs, however, complain that Aadhaar number is required for everything including enrolling a student for a public exam such as those conducted by the CBSE, for getting LPG cylinders, telephone connection, and renewing existing Indian driving licence. Banks insist on linking Aadhaar with their accounts from getting deactivated too.

Further, as many NRIs are doing business in India, when they are filing income tax returns, the authorities are insisting on linking Aadhaar with the PAN card, K.V. Shamsudheen, chairman, UAE-based Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust, said.

The biggest difficulty is the Revenue Department asking property owners to furnish Aadhaar copies as the State government has commenced a programme to digitise land documents. Some of the NRIs who had taken Aadhaar before the notification had been lucky to get their names linked to the land records.

“The village officer at Chathamangalam in Kozhikode demanded Aadhaar for digitisation of land property document. Similarly, the mobile service provider demanded Aadhaar for changing my wife’s SIM card. When I explained to them that the UIDAI circular does not mandate seeking Aadhaar from NRIs, they said they don’t have any orders on that, ” Mr. Shamsudheen said.

The only solution is to amend the eligibility clause in the UIDAI rules, changing it from resident Indians to all Indian citizens. “All other countries except India have biometric identification cards for all their citizens irrespective of their residential status. The main criterion to obtain the passports of those countries is biometric identification. India also must follow the same rule for all citizens to get Aadhaar,” he said.