New Delhi: The centre may come up with a breakthrough decision after which the citizens will be able to withdraw their Aadhaar number, including biometrics and the data from the servers of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
Following the Apex Court’s order the central government may finalise a proposal to amend the Aadhaar Act, but with conditions. In September, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of Aadhaar, however, with certain riders.
The Apex court ruled that while Aadhaar is constitutionally valid, it is not mandatory for all services.
The UIDAI initially suggested that once a citizen turns 18, he/she be given minimum six months of time to decide if he/she wants to withdraw from Aadhaar. Meanwhile, the Law Ministry recommended that the option to withdraw should not be limited to a particular group, but rather be made available to all citizens.
However, there is a disadvantage for people who opt out of the Aadhaar scheme. Whoever opts out won’t be able to avail those government schemes and subsidies wherein Aadhaar linkage is compulsory. Citizens who do not have a PAN card or do not require one are the only ones likely to benefit from this move, as the court had upheld the linkage of PAN with Aadhaar.