It is a common sight for mobile phone consumers to receive urgent and repeated communications from their mobile companies asking them to link their SIM cards with Aadhaar or be ready to get their services disrupted!
Many users have been getting SMS alerts and telecalls pushing them to complete the process. But customers do not need panic, because the deadline was declared around the first week of February 2018.
To facilitate this Aadhaar-mobile linking for users, especially senior citizens, the government is trying to come up with alternate solutions – including proxy authorisation.
To tackle the painful and tedious processes of long waits at mobile service provider outlets and issues like non-availability of machines, a proxy authorisation will allow the senior citizen to nominate a person to verify Aadhaar-mobile linkage.
Whether or not the facility will be extended to other mobile users is a mystery. The government is also considering home visits where telecom companies can confirm biometrics with a small scanner linked to a mobile.
According to the Times of India, the government is in consultation with telecom service companies, and is considering a plan of action.
This plan includes:
- The use of online OTP (one time password) for mobile numbers registered with the Unique Identification Authority of India
- Iris scanning for persons whose fingerprints are indistinct
- Home visits for senior citizens.
The idea is to complete the process using the soon to be issued UIDAI directives stating the available options and cause the least inconvenience to the public as possible.
Read more: From Aadhaar Enabled Entry to Biometric Boarding, Kempegowda to Become India’s 1st Smart Airport
Speaking to the publication, Telecom secretary, Aruna Sundararajan said the options are still be discussed and reviewed.
“We are trying to smoothen things for both -telcos and customers. We are particularly concerned for older customers where biometrics can fail. We are coming out with measures to ease the pain of customers,” she shared.
Using the same mobile number registered at the time of Aadhaar enrollment makes the Aadhaar linkage simpler. Even though the UIDAI cannot legally share details with telecom companies, the option of using an OTP verified process provided by the service provider is available.
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