Beneficiaries hold up their Aadhaar cards as they wait in queue to receive a dose of Covid-19 vaccine, in West Bengal’s Nadia on December 2, 2021. (Representative image/PTI)

The one-time consent will enable the government to create an Aadhaar-seeded database to which ministries and states can link all welfare schemes. Citizens will have the right to revoke the consent at any time.

The government will soon be sending you a form through an e-mail, SMS or asking you to access the same online on a website, seeking your permission for the “prospective sharing” of your Aadhaar details for getting benefits in all “future” government schemes and for the “creation of an Aadhaar-seeded database”.

This comes as the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has received requests from various government ministries and departments to provide “guidance” regarding the use of Aadhaar-related data for future schemes, says an order issued by the UIDAI. Many ministries already collect such data during the course of implementation of respective public welfare schemes.

The UIDAI has shared a form with the government which can be furnished to a citizen to seek their consent. The form says the citizen gives their consent for sharing their Aadhaar number, demographic details and photograph, for verifying their identity for the purpose of determining their eligibility across government welfare programs, “which are in existence and for future programmes” run by the central and state governments.

“I understand that the Government of India shall create an Aadhaar-seeded database containing my Aadhaar number, photograph and demographic information and government shall ensure requisite mechanisms have been put in place to ensure safety, security and privacy of such information in accordance with applicate laws, rules and regulations,” the form says.

A one-time consent from a citizen will enable the government to create an ‘Aadhaar-seeded database’ which all central government ministries and states can use to link all their welfare schemes to. So far, Aadhaar details are collected for each scheme separately for authenticating the identity of a person by way of the Aadhaar authentication system and for registering the name on the portal for availing subsidies, benefits and other services.

The form, however, does mention that the citizen can revoke their ‘no-objection’ accorded in the form, and have the right to withdraw the same at any time in the future through a communication of opting out.

courtesy news18