Last Modified: Thu, Oct 08 2015. 12 08 PM IST
News in numbers | 920 million Indians have an Aadhaar card
SC refused to modify its interim order passed on 11 August, which had said that Aadhaar should be restricted to identifying beneficiaries of the PDS and subsidies on cooking gas and kerosene.
Photo: Priyanka Parashar/Mint
920 million
What is it? The number of Indians who have received Aadhaar cards till date.
Why is it important? The number contrasts with restrictions on its use. The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to modify its interim order passed on 11 August, which had said that Aadhaar should be restricted to identifying beneficiaries of the public distribution system (PDS) and subsidies on cooking gas and kerosene. This would have an impact on all the digital programmes initiated by the Indian government such as Jan Dhan Yojana (financial inclusion programme), pension payments, digital certificates, proposed introduction of payment banks, which depend on the unique identity number. Over 91 million beneficiaries of the national rural employment scheme, over 27 million pensioners and nearly 26 million recipients of scholarships would be affected.
Tell me more: There are concerns that the privacy of individuals could be compromised due to the use of Aadhaar cards for government services. The court’s interim order did not stop the government from fresh enrolments, though it conveyed the message that Aadhaar is not mandatory.