The Centre is giving final touches to an ambitious plan to link all existing mobile phone subscribers with their Aadhaar accounts in order to avoid misuse of SIM cards for criminal and anti-national activities.
The plan, expected to roll out in a year, makes Aadhaar a requirement for purchase of a new mobile connection. For existing users who are pre-paid customers, constituting a base of over 90 per cent of mobile users, Aadhaar will be mandatory for getting recharge of the calling card. By this method, the Centre intends to make verification process of all mobile phone users more robust and foolproof.
This plan was revealed by Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi in the Supreme Court on Monday during the hearing on a PIl filed by NGO lokniti Foundation. Commending the petitioner for raising this issue in public interest, a bench of Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice NV Ramana, recorded the undertaking of the Centre to implement its Mobile Phone Subscriber Verification Programme, and on this hope disposed the PIl.
A-G Rohatgi said that this verification is being made mandatory for any new user but for existing customers, there are some rough edges to be smoothened before the final rollout. The bench quoted A-G as saying, “Each prepaid card holder has to per force renew his card periodically by making a deposit for further user. Its pointed out that these over 90 per cent existing subscribers can also be verified by putting in place a mechanism adopted for new subscribers. An effective programme will be completed at the earliest and the process will be completed within one year as far as possible.”
Although the Court was in favour of implementing the scheme forthwith, Rohatgi submitted that with the coming of smart phones, a mobile connection not only helps in making calls but acts as a payment gateway for making payments and transfer of funds. It is for this reason we do not intend to take customers by surprise, the A-G added.