Scores of people have heaved a sigh of relief with Supreme Court declaring Aadhaar card not mandatory for schools admission and bank accounts, however, a major chunk of people who have already linked the account with their Unique Identification number fear for the security of their personal data. The apex court on Wednesday upheld the validity of ‘Aadhaar’ but limited the scope of the controversial biometric identity project, ruling that it is not mandatory for bank accounts, mobile connections or school admissions.
In Madhya Pradesh, nearly, 89.9% of the population is in possession of Aadhaar card. With total projection of 8,23,42,793 population in the state 7,40,08,220 citizens have been assigned Aadhaar numbers till August 2018 (source: uidai.gov.in). The verdict has brought huge relief to people but they still are apprehensive about the SC’s direction being followed strictly. What would be the next step of the banks and the telecom companies, they ponder.
“Aadhaar linkage was not mandatory for mobile phone connection but the network companies pestered me, blocked my connection and ultimately I had to get it linked with Aadhaar,” said Pradeep Trivedi, a private professional. Big question is, will my mobile operator delink my number on my request, he asked. Maninder Singh, a businessman is worried about privacy after linking his Aadhaar number with bank account.
He said he still maintains that Aadhaar details could be hacked and are not safe in government hands. “Just imagine if someone hacks my Aadhaar card, gets details from there about my bank accounts and does some act, where will I go,” said Singh. Bank laws are still not clear on hacking and phishing acts, he added.
On the other hand, banks in Madhya Pradesh have linked 85.42% of current and savings bank account with the Aadhaar numbers. “You link it with bank or not but one has to link it with the Permanent Account Number (PAN). Ultimately it gets link with the bank,” said Professor Sadhna Pandey. No one would have problem with the Aadhaar number being linked to anything unless the UIDAI strengthens it security features and save it from data thieves, she added.
Bank Account/Enrollment status with Aadhaar
* Total number of Operative, Savings A/c – 608.39 lakhs
* No. of Aadhaar seeded accounts – 519.67 lakhs
* % of Aadhaar seeded accounts – 85.42
* No. of Aadhaar authentication accounts – 303.20 lakhs
* % of Aadhaar authentication accounts – 49.84
