Is Aadhar Card mandatory to avail various services?

The supreme court ruling of September 2018 revoked certain terms of Aadhar Card. The judgement clearly defines the inclusions and exclusions of Aadhar Card.

So what are the services which do not require an Aadhaar Card anymore?

  • A new mobile connection doesn’t require Aadhaar Card
  • Private entities cannot have access to your Aadhaar Card. The supreme court revoked Section 57 of the Act which authorized private bodies to use Aadhaar number for verifying the identity of the individual.
  • School admissions do not require Aadhaar Card.

The judgement also stated that Aadhaar card of a student is not mandatory for admissions.

Where do you need Aadhaar compulsorily?

  • PAN card: According to the section 139AA of the Income Tax Act, linking of Aadhar Card with PAN card is compulsory. This is due to the fact that tax evaders usually used to create multiple PAN cards in order to avoid income tax.
  • Filing income tax returns (ITR): As the linking of Aadhar Card and PAN Card is mandatory, you will need the same to file for income tax returns.
  • Welfare schemes: to avail all the benefits under various government-run social welfare schemes and subsidies that you are eligible for, an Aadhar Card is mandatory.

Why do you need to link Aadhaar with PAN?

PAN card, is one of the most important documents, which is essential to file income tax.

The Supreme Court last year, declared that the Aadhar scheme is constitutionally valid and that Aadhaar was mandatory to file I-T returns and issuance of PAN card.

The Aadhar is linked with PAN, which is linked to a bank account. It assists the Income Tax Department to uncover tax frauds. The Aadhar – PAN linking guarantees the government’s welfare schemes are availed by eligible people. Since the Aadhar is linked with various agencies.

How to link Aadhaar with PAN:

  • Log into the official income tax department site i:e, incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in
  • Click on the tab ‘Linking Aadhaar’. A new window should open which prompts you to link your PAN card with Aadhaar Card
  • Confirm data such as name, date of birth and gender with the details on your Aadhar Card
  • Submit your unique Aadhar Card number and enter the captcha code
  • Click on the tab ‘Link Aadhaar’
  • A success message appears on the screen

Exception to Aadhar Validation:

Recently, an update from Nepal Airlines said that Aadhar Card will not be considered as a valid travel document while traveling to Nepal. It will be mandatory to put contact number, email ID, of guest/agent and passport or voter ID details for validation. In case of failing to do so, the agent will not be entitled in case of delays and flight cancellations. The update clarifies that in case of ‘no show’ with Aadhar Card, ticket refunds will not be liable for any claims.