Nisha Nambiar | TNN | May 19, 2018, 06:30 IST
The Centre has exempted ill or infirm elderly persons from Aadhaar authentication to avail themselves of bank or other financial services.
The directive comes as a relief for many senior citizens who face problems with biometric authentication while opening a new account or getting pension.
They will now finally be able to use alternative methods to authenticate their identity.
A senior government official said the aim behind the order was to ensure that no genuine account holder is denied banking services due to problems with biometric authentication.
The exemption puts to rest senior citizens’ fears that they will not be able to access their bank accounts for their pensions. The amendment provides for “appropriate exemptions, limitations and conditions, and an alternative and viable means of identification to provide account-based services to clients who are unable to undergo biometric authentication owing to injury, illness or infirmity on account of old age or otherwise and such causes”.
Col S G Dalvi (retd) of the Association of Senior Citizens’ Organisations, Pune, said several pensioners from 160 senior citizens’ groups had raised their voices against the mandatory authentication rule. “It was unnecessary and they should have allowed authentication with other ID proof. Finally the government has realized the problem and made the necessary amendments,” Dalvi said, adding: “The city areas will benefit from this amendment, but rural areas will continue to suffer. We have come across many citizens who have been deprived of their pension.”
Lalitha Mohan, a pensioner, was relieved at the order. “I had been to the bank twice to withdraw money, but there was some problem with the machine. Now, with this order, I am relieved that I will not be deprived of pension,” she said.
Recently, the Central Information Commission had stated that senior citizens without Aadhaar will not be denied pension. The Employees Provident Fund Organisation also requested pension-disbursing banks to not turn away such pensioners.
The order clearly states that banks should make special arrangements for pensioners who lack Aadhaar and are not in a position to travel to the bank or an Aadhaar enrolment centre due to age or health-related issues.
However, banks say they still check for Aadhaar. “We do not turn them away but we do ask for their Aadhaar card,” a senior banker said.
The state information technology department, which is responsible for Aadhaar enrolment, also welcomed the move. “This will ensure that no genuine account holder is denied services owing to problems with biometric authentication,” an IT official said.