2 weeks ago

Andhra Pradesh Makes Aadhaar Authentication Voluntary for Municipal Services

Andhra Pradesh Makes Aadhaar Authentication Voluntary for Municipal Services
Aadhaar authentication for online civic services · thehansindia.com

People in Andhra Pradesh can now choose whether to use their Aadhaar card when they use city services online.

Aadhaar is a special identity card that many people in India have.

The government wants to make it faster and easier for people to get services from their city.

Before, people might have had to share their identity papers many times.

Now, they can use Aadhaar to prove who they are if they want to.

But no one has to use it.

If someone does not want to use Aadhaar, they can show other papers like a passport, ration card, voter card or driving licence.

The city cannot refuse to help someone just because they do not use Aadhaar.

The government says this will help stop cheating and mix-ups.

This is part of making city services digital in Andhra Pradesh.

Key facts

Region
Andhra Pradesh, India
Notification
GO-Ms-179, issued by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department
Authentication methods
Aadhaar Yes/No authentication and e-KYC via ULB online portals
Legal basis
Rule 5 of the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Rules, 2020; Aadhaar Act, 2016
Nature of requirement
Strictly voluntary, with consent of the Aadhaar holder required
Alternative identity documents
Passport, ration card, voter identity card, driving licence
Objectives
Faster, simpler, more secure civic services; prevent impersonation, duplication and fraud; improve municipal database accuracy
Related initiative
Ongoing digitisation of municipal administration, including Mana Mitra

Quotes

Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar

AP government official, head of urban development

“Aadhaar authentication would strengthen identity verification and improve the reliability of municipal databases, while safeguards would ensure that digitisation does not exclude citizens.”
thehansindia.com
“The objective, he said, is to enable people to access municipal services with minimum documentation and physical interaction without leading to exclusion”
deccanchronicle.com

Sources

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