According to a recent circular issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), if you do not have an Aadhaar number or enrolment slip, you may not be eligible for government grants and benefits.
The notification was issued on August 11 to strengthen Aadhaar rules for those who do not have an Aadhaar number and are availing benefit from the subsidies and benefits offered by the government.
If you want a government certificate that is used to determine the eligibility of beneficiaries for providing benefits/grants/services under government schemes, they must have an Aadhaar number, the circular says.
According to the circular, there is an existing provision in section 7 of the Aadhaar Act to facilitate a person who has not been assigned an Aadhaar number, to avail of the benefits, subsidies, and services “through alternate and viable means of identification.”
The latest circular states that more than 99% of adults in the country have now got an Aadhaar number.
“Thus in the above backdrop and considering the proviso to Section 7 of the Act…in case no Aadhaar number has been assigned to an individual, he/she shall make an application for enrolment and till such time Aadhaar number is assigned to such individual, he/she may avail the benefits, subsidies and services through alternate and viable means of identification along with Aadhaar Enrolment Identification (EID) number/slip,” the circular mentioned.
This means that availing of central and state government services, benefits and grants will require an Aadhaar Enrolment Identification Number (EID) if one does not already have an Aadhaar number.
The circular says a multitude of services and benefits are being transferred directly to the residents owing to the wide coverage of 99 per cent adults having Aadhaar identification. “Aadhaar has significantly improved the quality of resident/citizen experience in receiving welfare services,” the circular said.