Hope you are aware that an Aadhaar card is becoming mandatory for several things. Just to mention a few, it has been made obligatory for applying for a PAN card and filing Income Tax returns.
If you don’t do so, your PAN card will become worthless after June 30. And now, your phone numbers are in the queue. Yes, the Department of Telecom, in March, issued an order to all mobile phone companies that they require to re-validate all mobile users via Aadhaar card in India.
Following the instruction, companies such as Idea and Airtel have started sending messages to customers informing them that they need to link their phone numbers to Aadhaar and get verified.
The companies have also begun to put messages in-store to notify the users regarding the same. You can see such a message that states, “Link your Aadhaar card to your number now to stay active.”
The Government notice stated, “An effectual process has been developed to make sure identity authentication, as well as the addresses of every mobile phone subscribers for latest subscribers.
In the coming period, and more specifically within 1 year, an analogous authentication will be accomplished, for the existing subscribers.”
The Department of Telecom had sent a notification to all the telecom operators present in the country to validate the data of their customers via KYC with the use of Aadhaar.
It is compulsory to link and confirm each phone number to the Aadhaar card. If you fail to do so, the operator himself can pull out the connection. Idea and Airtel users are receiving messages for the same.
So what should be done to link your number? Go through the instructions mentioned below.
- Once you get the SMS, go to the nearby retail store of your network.
- Take your phone number and Aadhaar card. Give these details to the allocated individual at the store.
- A verification code will be sent by the individual on your number.
- Verify that verification code to the shop person.
- Then you will be requested for your fingerprint verification.
- A final verification code will be received by you within 24 hours. Just reply the message with a “Y.”
- And your number is been connected to your Aadhaar card.
For now, this process is conducted only for Idea and Airtel numbers. Soon other operators will also initiate the process for the same.
Hope you have got your Aadhaar card linked. If not, make some moves to get it done.