In what is being seen as a major relief for the common man, the Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to extend the deadline to link Aadhaar with private and non-subsidised government services like phone numbers and bank accounts. The deadline which was previously set for March 31, 2018 has been extended till the Supreme Court’s verdict on a bunch of petitions dealing with the legal validity of the Aadhaar scheme as well as its possible impact on an individual’s right to privacy. The apex court also allowed an extension of the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar for Tatkal Passport.
The decision came from a five-judge SC bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra which also included Justices A K Sikri, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan. “We direct that the interim order passed on December 15, 2017 shall stand extended till the matter is finally heard and the judgment is pronounced,” the bench.
While the extension stands for most services, there are a few exceptions that need to be kept in mind.
Here are 5 reasons why you should still link your Aadhaar:
1. First of all, the extension has only been granted for non-subsidised government services. Attorney General K K Venugopal requested the court that the extension of the deadline should not disturb the benefits, subsidies and services covered under Section 7 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016. This means that there is still a deadline to link ration cards to Aadhaar, that you may still have to honour.
2. It is mandatory to link Aadhaar for the supplementary nutrition program. The deadline for the same stays March 31. The Supplementary Nutrition is one of the six services provided under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme which is primarily designed to bridge the gap between the Recommended Dietary Allowance (FDA) and the Average Daily Intake (ADI). It is given to the children between the age of 6 months and 6 years.
The Supreme Court on 13th March 2018 has extended the last date for linking of Aadhaar in bank accounts, PAN cards, SIM cards, etc from 31st march 2018 till the date of the final judgement. 1/3
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) March 13, 2018
As per the Supreme Court’s order dated 13th March 2018, the requirement of Aadhaar for opening new bank accounts and applying for Tatkal passports under the relevant laws continues. 2/3
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) March 13, 2018
However for those who do not have Aadhaar, they are required to apply for Aadhaar and provide the Aadhaar application number while applying for availing the aforesaid services. 3/3
— Aadhaar (@UIDAI) March 13, 2018
3. It is still mandatory to link Aadhaar for farmers wanting to take crop insurance benefit and people eligible for subsidised foodgrains. The deadline for the same stays at March 31.
4. Aadhaar linking is also needed for financial support under National Mission for Empowerment of Women. The scheme was started with an aim to bring convergence of efforts through inter-sectoral coordination amongst different ministries and programmes with Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) as the nodal for achieving holistic empowerment of women. It will also be needed for Scheme for Adolescent Women, students to avail Central scholarship and financial support given under National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship.
5. Aadhaar is also compulsory for Maternity Benefit Programme and Integrated Child Protection Scheme. The deadline for that is March 31. Aadhaar linking is also required for women to avail vocational training, loans and other schemes.
