Now non-resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian origin (PIOs) are not required to link bank accounts and other services with Aadhaar, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) said on Friday, while instructing various implementation agencies to work out a mechanism to verify the status of such individuals.
It said the Prevention of Money laundering Rules 2017 and the Income Tax Act clearly stipulate that the linking of bank accounts and PAN respectively, “is for those persons who are eligible to enrol for Aadhaar”.
It said all central ministries and departments, state governments and other implementation agencies should bear in mind that Aadhaar as an identity document can be sought only from those eligible for it under Aadhaar Act, and that most NRIs/PIOs/ OCIs may not be eligible for its enrolment.
The Aadhaar-issuing body said several representations had been received about problems faced by NRIs, PIOs and Overseas Citizens of India where Aadhaar was being demanded with regard to various services and benefits.