Aadhaar, as the name suggests, has become the basis of all important documents and bank accounts and the government has mandated all the documents to be linked with Aadhaar till 31st March 2018. Whether it is about getting a mobile connection or taking government pension and subsidies, or any financial transactions, Aadhaar is mandatory. The checklist is long where you are required to mandatorily attach your Aadhaar number. Aadhaar is compulsory in most of the documents and in some, it is about to become obligatory. Some identity document making procedure also requires Aadhaar as the proof of validation for new documents and it works as reassessment for existing documents.
Deadlines for Linking Aadhaar Card
| Service | Deadline for linking Aadhaar | Consequences of non-linking |
|---|---|---|
| PAN | 31st March 2018 | I-T returns will not be processed |
| Banking | 31st March 2018 | Account will be blocked |
| Mutual funds/Stocks | 31st March 2018 | Account will become non-operational |
| Insurance Policies | 31st March 2018 | Policy will become inaccessible |
| Post office schemes | 31st March 2018 | Account will be blocked |
| Telecom | 31st March 2018 | Number will be deactivated |
| Scheme of LPG and Pension | 31st March 2018 | Benefits will be withdrawn |
Here is the Checklist of Aadhaar linked Documents and Accounts:
PAN Card
The government mandatorily mentioned to link PAN card with Aadhaar to file income tax returns after 1 July 2017 and now it is compulsory for each taxpayer to link the PAN Card with Aadhaar. Later on, the government has announced the last date which is 31st March 2018, to comply with norms. So, it is necessary for individuals to follow the directives before the deadline in order to allow their returns to be cleared smoothly.
SIM cards
As per the government directives, all mobile users are needed to make Aadhaar based e-KYC verification until 31st March 2018. The government has referred to all telecom operators to re-check their existing mobile users’ information and make sure that Aadhaar based e-KYC verification has been done before the due date. For new connection, the subscriber needs to provide Aadhaar details as well.
Pension Account
Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) had formulated Aadhaar or enrolment ID as mandatory documents for pensioners to avail benefits of its social security schemes before January 2017. Till 31st March 2018, EPFO had made to furnish their Aadhaar number under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (form 10C – more than ten years of continuous service) compulsorily to avail the pension benefits.
Bank Account
As per the government directives, It is obligatory for banks to verify and link Aadhaar card of their bank account holders with their saving accounts. As announced, the deadline to furnish this details os 31st March 2018, and after that, the accounts not linked with Aadhaar will become inoperable if the further extension is not enlarged after the due date.
Mutual Fund Investments
The government has made the financial institutions including mutual fund houses to link the holders account with Aadhaar number mandatorily. This directive has added as an amendment in Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Rules, 2017. The last date to comply with government norms to link Aadhaar with mutual funds is 31st March 2018.
Social Security Schemes
For availing the benefits of various government schemes, including Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana and many others, furnishing Aadhaar details is compulsory and required to be furnished before 31st March 2018. Although, the Supreme court is still about to give consent on the issue as various petitions which are filed in front of the court challenging the legal validity of Aadhaar on the basis that it is a roadblock into a person’s fundamental right to privacy.
List of Documents Which are not Mandatory for Aadhaar linking:
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)
The government doesn’t make the beneficiaries to link Aadhaar to avail the benefits under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme but doing so can make their way easy to proceed with benefits. Linking DBT scheme-linked accounts to Aadhaar ensures that the money transferred by you directly reaches to Aadhaar linked accounts and avoids duplication and fraudulent activity. It assists obtaining the benefits, services or subsidy without any problems.
Death Certificate
From October 1, 2017, it is required to attach Aadhaar with Death Certificate to identify that the person is deceased now. This norm comes into effect to reduce the cheat arises by claiming benefits and subsidize on the name of deceased. If the deceased’s Aadhaar number is not available to retrace, a family of deceased is required to submit a certificate regarding the same issue. Fraud declaration by the applicant is treated as an offence under the Aadhaar Act and the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. The applicant of the death certificate also requires the Aadhaar number of his or her to be furnished. Therefore, for a death certificate, filing Aadhaar information is compulsory.
Faster Provident Fund (PF) Claims
As linking PF account with Aadhaar is not mandatory but doing so will make the process easy as the applicant can apply for the claim online and obtain it in less than 5 days than waiting over a month without Aadhaar linking PF account. This initiate is taken to make the EPFO’s exercise fast to eliminate time in settling down PF claims and to go online or without paper.
Driving License And New Vehicles’ Registration
The government is putting full efforts to link driving license and the registration of new automobile with Aadhaar card of the owner. This move will remove the fake license issues and check of registration for stolen vehicles will also become easy. The biometric details of Aadhaar will be helpful in finding identity in such practices.
