The department of telecom (DoT) is working with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and telecom operators on a comprehensive set of instructions to link Aadhaar cards with mobile numbers and the reverification process for mobile users, which is likely to be displayed by the operators on their websites by December. DoT has already announced the three new methods for linking mobile numbers with Aadhaar cards – OTP-based process, via the service provider’s app or via the IVRS facility. Explaining about the process, telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan told FE, “Operators have to inform DoT by November 15 on the mechanism by which all options for linking Aadhaar with mobile number are made available on their portals. This will then be verified by DoT and UIDAI over another two weeks. So we hope that by December, citizens will know about the options that they can choose online.”
She added that for the ease of senior citizens and the people with disability and chronic illness, DoT has also recommended for re-verification at subscribers’ doorstep. Defending the re-verification process, Sundararajan said it is for the benefit of the consumers. “It is in everybody’s interest. Firstly, because of the security required for digital payments, as now a lot of people are using mobile banking and other payment options. So it is important that the right person is actually using the bank account attached. Second is that for a lot of government and private sector services too, now we are using mobiles like for authentification etc. Since mobile is becoming a predominant mechanism for service delivery, it is in consumers’ interest to make sure that he or she links it with Aadhaar”.
