Mumbai : Aadhaar card-linked remittance systems constitute a big push for a cashless society, Unique Identification Authority of India Chairman Nandan Nilekani said on Wednesday.
Nilekani was talking on the sidelines of the launch of National Payments Corporation of India’s remittance services based on Aadhaar. Aadhaar-linked payment systems, such as the one launched today, will reduce cash transactions in the economy, yielding various benefits, said Nilekani.
However, Nilekani refused comment on the Supreme Court’s Sep 29 order which held that the Aadhaar card was not mandatory for obtaining benefits of various government schemes.
Instead, he said as the number of people enrolled for the Aadhaar card increases, the utility of the card will become obvious.
Out of the 500 mln people enrolled so far, 440 mln have been issued Aadhaar cards, said Nilekani. He expressed confidence that the authority will enrol 600 mln people for the Aadhaar programme by the end of the year.
However, only 30 mln bank accounts have been linked to Aadhaar numbers so far. This number is expected to rise to 100 mln in a year’s time, said the Unique Identification Authority of India chairman.