UIDAI cautions people against Aadhaar ‘smart card’ offer

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 11

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has cautioned people not to fall to ploys of some unscrupulous entities who are charging anywhere between Rs 50 to Rs 200 for printing Aadhaar on a plastic card in the name of smart card.

The UIDAI has clarified that the Aadhaar letter or its cutaway portion or downloaded version of Aadhaar on ordinary paper is perfectly valid. Some entities have also been charging far more for simply laminating the downloaded version of Aadhaar.

“The Aadhaar card or the downloaded Aadhaar card printed on ordinary paper is perfectly valid for all uses. 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 Aadhaar card,” said Director General & Mission Director of UIDAI, Ajay Bhushan Pandey.

UIDAI has cautioned e-commerce companies such E-bay, Flipkart, Amazon not to allow their merchants to collect Aadhaar information from general public for printing Aadhaar card as collecting such information or unauthorised printing of Aadhaar card or aiding such persons in any manner may amount to a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment under IPC and also Chapter VI of The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016.

In case a person loses his Aadhaar card, it can be downloaded free of cost from e-aadhaar section of UIDAI website and the print out of the downloaded Aadhaar, even in black and white form, is as valid as the original Aadhaar letter sent by UIDAI, the statement said.