Aadhaar will be now mandatory for driving license!
Two
very important developments related with Aadhaar has come up in the last 72
hours, which will further deepen the relationship between Govt. and its
citizens, and enable the system to have a robust Aadhaar-based verification
system
While Govt. is
planning to link Aadhaar with driving licenses, Indian Railways has given green
signal to mAadhaar as a valid ID proof for rail passengers.
Is it good, bad or
ugly?
Aadhaar Based Driving License: The New Concept
After invading your
income tax filings, PAN Card, phones, bank accounts, subsidies, welfare
schemes, railway tickets and more, Govt. is planning to make Aadhaar mandatory
for driving licenses.
All new driving
licenses can be asked to have Aadhaar as identity proof, and all existing
driving license holders can be asked to linked their respective Aadhaar.
At the recently
concluded Digital Haryana Summit 2017, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said,
“We are planning to link driving licence to Aadhaar. I have had a word with (Union minister Nitin) Gadkari Ji regarding this,”
Explaining the need
for this, he said that this will be done, “.. so digital identity confirms
physical identity with the help of digital technology,”
Nitin Gadkari is
the Road Transport and Highways Minister, and incidentally, he is a big
advocate of Aadhaar based transportation system.
In fact, in the
month of May this year, Gadkari had proposed an amendment in the Motor Vehicle Act, so that
Aadhaar becomes mandatory for both registration of vehicles, and for issuing
driving license.
At that time, he
had said, “We have proposed an amendment in the Motor Vehicle Act where people
need to have Aadhaar number to apply for driving licence and need not to visit
transport offices to get a learning driving licence as it all will be online,”
So, it seems this
Aadhaar based driving license, and registration of vehicles, both will approved
very soon.
mAadhaar Ok For Rail Passengers
Meanwhile Indian
Railways has decided to allow mAadhaar app for Aadhaar verification rail
passengers. Now, it no longer required to carry Aadhaar card for identifying
oneself: Just a swipe of mAadhaar app would be enough.
In a statement, the
Rail Ministry said, “m- Aadhaar when shown by the passenger on his/her
mobile after entering the password should be accepted as a proof of identity
for undertaking journey in any reserved class over Indian Railways,”
Note here, that
mAadhaar based verification will work, because the Aadhaar can be only
digitally downloaded to the phone number which is associated with that Aadhaar.
And, a password is required to showcase Aadhaar number.
mAadhaar
app was launched in July this year, as an easy, paperless medium to carry
one’s Aadhaar everywhere.
We will keep you
updated as we receive Aadhaar related news.
