Aadhaar not must for mobile SIM, says govt
Operators Told To Accept Other Documents
Pankaj.Doval@timesgroup.com 02.05.2018
New Delhi: Here’s some good news for consumers struggling to get a mobile phone SIM without an Aadhaar card. The government has issued instructions to operators to accept alternative identification documents such as driving licence, passport and voter ID card.
Mobile companies have been asked to follow the instructions “immediately” so that consumers are not inconvenienced, said telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan. The move follows a TOI report on April 27, which highlighted instances of people being denied a SIM card if they did not have an Aadhaar card. The Supreme Court has already clarified that Aadhaar is not mandatory for getting SIM cards until it takes afinal view on the matter.
“The ministry has issued instructions to all telecom companies, asking them not to deny a SIM card to any individual who does not have an Aadhaar number. We have asked them to accept other forms of KYC (know your customer) documents, and continue to issue SIM cards,” Sundararajan told TOI.
Mobile companies had been insisting on verification through Aadhaar, based on earlier instructions given by the telecom department to confirm all the numbers with the government’s digital directory.
Aadhaar-PAN linking helps I-T detect ₹33k cr
Linking Aadhaar and PAN has helped the tax department track high-value transactions of ₹33,000 crore, which were sought to be suppressed by individuals who face the risk of action if there’s evidence that the transactions don’t match the disclosed income. P 11
Soon, ombudsman for telecom complaints
You will soon have a telecom ombudsman to rely on when your mobile operator refuses to pay heed to your complaints on deficient services with the government clearing a three-tier mechanism on Tuesday. The ombudsman will be formed under the aegis of Trai. P 16
NRIs, foreigners too denied SIM cards
Mobile companies had been insisting on verification through Aadhaar, based on earlier instructions given by the telecom department to confirm all the numbers with the government’s digital directory. While the telecom ministry insisted that it had given such instructions only after observations of the Supreme Court in the Lokniti Foundation case, the top court recently clarified that it had not given any such orders.
The Aadhaar issue had not only impacted local residents, but even NRIs and foreigners visiting the country. Since the majority of such individuals did not have an Aadhaar card, retailers of mobile companies had started denying them SIM cards.
Mobile operators have so far refused to comment on the matter. However, official sources said the government has taken it very seriously. “This kind of a denial by retailers is completely uncalled for when there is no legal basis to enforce it. Such practices will not be tolerated,” a senior official said.
It is also understood that the government has asked mobile companies to “take it easy” on the issue of re-verification of mobile numbers with Aadhaar. With the Supreme Court extending the deadline for this indefinitely (until its final decision), the government feels that there is no merit for mobile operators to “unnecessarily push” their subscribers on the matter.
Until last week, mobile companies had been bombarding customers with calls, messages and other such unsolicited communication, asking them to link their phone number with Aadhaar. They had said that they were “simply complying” with the government’s previous directive on the matter.
Operators Told To Accept Other Documents
Pankaj.Doval@timesgroup.com 02.05.2018
New Delhi: Here’s some good news for consumers struggling to get a mobile phone SIM without an Aadhaar card. The government has issued instructions to operators to accept alternative identification documents such as driving licence, passport and voter ID card.
Mobile companies have been asked to follow the instructions “immediately” so that consumers are not inconvenienced, said telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan. The move follows a TOI report on April 27, which highlighted instances of people being denied a SIM card if they did not have an Aadhaar card. The Supreme Court has already clarified that Aadhaar is not mandatory for getting SIM cards until it takes afinal view on the matter.
“The ministry has issued instructions to all telecom companies, asking them not to deny a SIM card to any individual who does not have an Aadhaar number. We have asked them to accept other forms of KYC (know your customer) documents, and continue to issue SIM cards,” Sundararajan told TOI.
Mobile companies had been insisting on verification through Aadhaar, based on earlier instructions given by the telecom department to confirm all the numbers with the government’s digital directory.
Aadhaar-PAN linking helps I-T detect ₹33k cr
Linking Aadhaar and PAN has helped the tax department track high-value transactions of ₹33,000 crore, which were sought to be suppressed by individuals who face the risk of action if there’s evidence that the transactions don’t match the disclosed income. P 11
Soon, ombudsman for telecom complaints
You will soon have a telecom ombudsman to rely on when your mobile operator refuses to pay heed to your complaints on deficient services with the government clearing a three-tier mechanism on Tuesday. The ombudsman will be formed under the aegis of Trai. P 16
NRIs, foreigners too denied SIM cards
Mobile companies had been insisting on verification through Aadhaar, based on earlier instructions given by the telecom department to confirm all the numbers with the government’s digital directory. While the telecom ministry insisted that it had given such instructions only after observations of the Supreme Court in the Lokniti Foundation case, the top court recently clarified that it had not given any such orders.
The Aadhaar issue had not only impacted local residents, but even NRIs and foreigners visiting the country. Since the majority of such individuals did not have an Aadhaar card, retailers of mobile companies had started denying them SIM cards.
Mobile operators have so far refused to comment on the matter. However, official sources said the government has taken it very seriously. “This kind of a denial by retailers is completely uncalled for when there is no legal basis to enforce it. Such practices will not be tolerated,” a senior official said.
It is also understood that the government has asked mobile companies to “take it easy” on the issue of re-verification of mobile numbers with Aadhaar. With the Supreme Court extending the deadline for this indefinitely (until its final decision), the government feels that there is no merit for mobile operators to “unnecessarily push” their subscribers on the matter.
Until last week, mobile companies had been bombarding customers with calls, messages and other such unsolicited communication, asking them to link their phone number with Aadhaar. They had said that they were “simply complying” with the government’s previous directive on the matter.
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