Yet to link Aadhaar with mobile SIM? Govt mulls easier process for seniors

Proxy authorisation to give senior citizens option of nominating another person who'll do the linking on their behalf

Aiming to ease the process of linking Aadhaar card to mobile number, the Central government is mulling implementing a slew of consumer-friendly measures, especially aimed to help senior citizens.

READ MORE: Now, Aadhaar made mandatory for mobile connections

By now, all of us have received messages pushing to link subscriber identity module (SIM) cards, else services will get disrupted. However, you have time to do so till February 2018. 

Aadhaar mobile linkage is being done as per the orders of Supreme Court passed in February and all SIM cards have to be verified with Aadhaar within a year from the date of judgement. 

The move aims restrict criminals, fraudsters and terrorists who often use issued SIMs. (Read more)

Proxy authorization may soon be permitted for the Aadhaar-mobile SIM linking purpose, reported the Times of India. 

The Narendra Modi-led government has already mandated linking of the 12-digit unique identification number for filing income tax returns or applying for permanent account number (PAN), apart from availing a dozen schemes. This is another step towards making the use of Aadhaar all-pervasive in India. (Click here for step-by-step guide on linking Aadhaar to PAN). 

Sigh of relief for senior citizens

The aforementioned proxy authorisation will give senior citizens the option of nominating another person who will do the Aadhaar-mobile link on their behalf.

Other options being considered are:

Issuing a one-time password (OTP) for mobile numbers registered with UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India)

Iris scanning for those whose fingerprints is not distinct 

Home visits for senior citizens

“We are particularly concerned for older customers where biometrics can fail,” Telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan told the English daily.

While it is not known as of yet whether the facilities will be restricted to senior citizens or extended to every mobile user in India, the move will simplify the process, helping millions of Indians.

Click here to read the notification issued by DoT that mandated Aadhaar-mobile linking

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) are not required to link their Aadhaar with their SIM cars.