New Delhi, June 28: The Center has allowed the office of the Registrar General of India (RGI) to do Aadhaar authentication during registration of births and deaths in the country. However, it said that Aadhaar is not mandatory for such registration.
In a gazette notification published on June 27, 2023, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEiTY) has permitted the RGI office to use the Aadhaar database to verify identity details provided during registration of births and deaths.
It said that a registrar appointed under the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1969, “will be permitted to make Aadhaar verification, on a voluntary basis, with a yes or no for verification of Aadhaar numbers as well as other details requested in the report forms”.
State Governments and Union Territory Administrations shall adhere to the guidelines regarding the use of Aadhaar authentication as laid down by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Promulgated under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969, the appointed registrar is permitted to do Aadhaar verification on a voluntary basis to verify the Aadhaar number with other details asked for in the birth or death report.
The State Government and Union Territory administrations follow the guidelines laid down by the Ministry regarding the use of Aadhaar authentication. In 2020, the ministry had prescribed rules, saying the central government may allow, but not make it mandatory, Aadhaar authentication by requesting units to promote good governance, flow of public funds and living standards.
According to the rules, ministries or state governments wishing to use Aadhaar authentication must prepare a proposal to justify such authentication and submit it to the central government for making a reference to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
