Aadhar will not be mandatory for COVID vaccine, medicines, hospitalisation or treatment said the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the statutory authority that issues 12-digit unique identification numbers called ‘Aadhaar’ to Indian residents.
UIDAI issued the statement after a section of media reported that vaccination and few other essential services such as hospitalisation were being denied to people for want of Aadhaar.
‘Aadhaar should not be misused as an excuse for denial of any essential service. There is a well-established exception handling mechanism (EHM) for Aadhaar and it should be followed to ensure delivery of benefits and services in the absence of Aadhaar. If a resident does not possess Aadhaar for some or the other reason, she/he must not be denied essential services as per the Aadhaar Act, the authority said in a statement.
An identification (ID) document is, however, required for getting the Covid-19 vaccine. According to the ‘Aarogya Setu’ app, people can register themselves for vaccination by using one of the seven IDS – Aadhaar number, driving licence, permanent account number (PAN), passport, pension passbook, NPR smart card and voter’s ID.
UIDAI said Aadhaar is meant to bring transparency and accountability in public service deliveries through effective use of technology, but there are exceptions. It said in case of any such denial, the matter should be brought to the knowledge of the higher authorities of concerned department.
