New Delhi: The Delhi government has taken a historic step towards making work easy and transparent for crores of citizens living in the country's capital Delhi. The Department of Information Technology, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi has released the official Gazette Notification related to 'Voluntary Aadhaar Authentication' for identity verification in government services. With the implementation of this new system, now the citizens of Delhi will not have to stand in long queues or visit government offices again and again for various government schemes, certificates and civic facilities. Services can be availed by verifying identity through digital medium sitting at home. The most important thing is that the government has kept Aadhaar authentication completely optional and voluntary, so that the work of any citizen will not stop due to lack of Aadhaar card or technical fault. Unified Citizen Data Platform (UCDP) and new rule of consent based verification According to the notification issued by the Delhi Government, the Department of Information Technology has been given formal permission to use Aadhaar authentication for operating the 'Unified Citizen Data Platform' (UCDP). This arrangement has been implemented under Section 4(4)(b)(ii) of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 and Rule 5 of the Aadhaar Authentication Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Rules, 2020. According to the new rules, Aadhaar verification of any person cannot be done at all without his explicit consent. Before starting Aadhaar authentication, the concerned department or service provider will have to inform the applicant about its purpose and take his permission. The main objective of this initiative is to promote good governance, prevent fraud and deliver the benefits of social welfare schemes directly to the eligible beneficiaries through digital platforms. Work will not get stuck even if Aadhaar is not there or OTP is not received, these 4 documents including DL and Voter ID are valid. It was often seen that due to network problem, biometric failure or mobile number not being linked to Aadhaar card, common people had to face huge difficulties in availing the benefits of government schemes. Finding a permanent solution to this practical problem, the Delhi Government has made a clear provision for Alternative Identity Documents in the notification. If a citizen refuses to get Aadhaar authentication done or due to some technical reason his Aadhaar verification is not completed, then the concerned department cannot deny him the service. In such a situation, citizens can use four major alternative documents to prove their identity, which include Voter ID card issued by the Election Commission of India, Driving License issued by the Transport Department, Passport and any other photo identity card issued by the Central or State Government. On which services will this rule apply and how will the general public get direct benefits? This notification has brought great relief to the people living in the entire NCR region including various districts of Delhi like North-West Delhi, South Delhi, East Delhi, Rohini, Dwarka, Janakpuri and Shahdara. Integration of citizen data through UCDP platform will eliminate the hassle of repeatedly submitting separate documents to each department. However, the administrative authorities have also clarified that this special notification has been issued for the services related to UCDP and the purposes set out in the notification. In case of other central or state level schemes, banking services or some specific subsidy schemes of the transport department (like the recently issued rules for EV subsidy), the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar will be determined as per the relevant legal provisions applicable there. Overall, this decision of the Delhi Government has struck a fine balance between digital convenience and citizens' right to privacy and choice.
