UIDAI Says Aadhaar Smart Card Complete Waste; Asks People To Stay Away!
UIDAI says there is no need for a plastic Aadhaar smart card as it would not be feasible in the long term.
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the central authority on Aadhaar cards in India has explicitly stated that plastic smart cards, disguised as Aadhaar Smart Cards are a complete waste of money, and not feasible for long-term use.
In a special press note, UIDAI has advised the general public to avoid issuing such cards.
But, why did UIDAI issue such statements?
And what is the alternative?
UIDAI: Stay Away from Aadhaar Smart Card
In the last few months, several business establishments have started offering services, wherein a user can get a smart Aadhaar card, by paying anything from Rs 50 to Rs 300 per card.
As per UIDAI, these services are unauthorized, and the general public should remain away from these.
In fact, Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey, CEO, UIDAI has said that there is no concept of such smart Aadhaar card!
In the press release, he said that if a person already has a paper Aadhaar card, then there is no need for laminated or smart Aadhaar card.
He said,
“If a person has a paper Aadhaar card, there is absolutely no need to get his/her Aadhaar card laminated or obtain a plastic Aadhaar card or so-called smart Aadhaar card by paying money. There is no concept such as smart or plastic Aadhaar card”,
2 Reasons Why Smart Aadhaar Card Is Not Feasible
As per UIDAI, when a person goes to such entities who laminate the Aadhaar card, and then turn into a smart card, the QR Code gets tampered with, which makes it unusable.
Besides, sharing Aadhaar card with unauthorized businesses can pose privacy issues, and they can cunningly store your Aadhaar number/card, and the user may not be even aware.
Pandey said, “The Aadhaar card or the downloaded Aadhaar card printed on ordinary paper or mAadhaar is perfectly valid for all kind of uses.”
Besides, as per the press release, Aadhaar card holder can visit the official website of UIDAI anytime and take a printout whenever required.
Moreover, UIDAI has already launched mAadhaar, which is an app to access Aadhaar card and is secured by OTP, which makes it pretty useful.
But, as I have personally experienced several times, most of the businesses/officials refuse to acknowledge mAadhaar-based Aadhaar verification and insist on a physical document.
Maybe this is the reason businesses offering Aadhaar smart cards have flourished.
Do you have a Aadhaar smart card? Do let us know by commenting right here!
