SIM cards not linked to Aadhaar to be deactivated: 10 things to know

New Delhi: The government has made the linking of 12-digit Aadhaar card number with mobile SIMs compulsory.
The last date for the same is February 6, 2018. All SIM cards that are not linked by this date will face deactivation. The Supreme Court, recently refused interim stay on linking of Aadhaar to bank accounts and mobile numbers. The country's apex court has left it for Constitution bench to decide if the linking of mobile SIMs and bank account numbers to Aadhaar is infringement of privacy.
In the last few days, the government has also issued some new guidelines for the linking of SIM cards with Aadhaar number. Here are ten things that you need to know about the process.
So far, the last date to link your mobile number with Aadhaar is February 6 2018. All the SIMs that are not linked by that date will face deactivation.
In a major relief, the Unique Identification Authority has said customers can start linking their mobile number with Aadhaar using a one-time password from December 1. Subscribers can make request for OTP-based verification through SMS or voiced-based IVRS call or via the mobile app. "By 1 Dec 2017, you can also choose to verify your mobile SIM with Aadhaar without giving your biometrics to Telecom Service Providers," UIDAI said in a tweet.
Mobile subscribers cannot do this online. This means that if you come across any links on the internet that claim to do this, ignore them as they may be fraudulent.
A mobile subscriber just needs to go in person with his/her Aadhaar number and the active SIM connection to complete the E-KYC (Aadhaar based) re-verification.
Telecom users can verify or re-verify their mobile numbers from anywhere in the country irrespective of which service area their mobile connection belongs to.
Telecom operators have been directed to offer verification facility to senior citizens as well as those subscribers suffering from any kind of illness or disability. As per DoT, telcos need to put in place an online mechanism (through website, and other means) for people to request for such service.
In case of agent-assisted biometric authentication for SIM re-verification or issuance, telcos have been asked to ensure that full e-KYC details of subscribers are not made visible to the agent. The new guidelines also suggest that the data should not be stored on the agent's device. In the current scheme of things, e-KYC data of the subscriber including photograph is visible to the agent of the telecom operator.
There is no fee for Aadhaar-mobile verification. It is absolutely free.
Subscribers with more than one mobile number need separate bio-metric verification for each of their mobile connection.
The government is seeking to re-verify mobile numbers with Aadhaar to weed out users who may have used a fake identity to get SIM cards. There have been cases where the PAN number or other identification documents of one person have been recycled and misused to give connections to many other people. With Aadhaar biometric authentication, there is less possibility of somebody else taking a SIM card in your name.