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New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government has decided not to accept Aadhaar cards as proof of date of birth. In a similar move, the Maharashtra government has ordered the cancellation of birth or death certificates issued solely on the basis of an Aadhaar card, or found to be suspicious.
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has issued a clear instruction to all the departments not to accept Aadhaar cards as the only proof of date of birth.
"In Uttar Pradesh, Aadhaar cards will no longer be accepted as a birth certificate or proof of date of birth. The Planning Department has issued instructions to all departments. No birth certificate is attached to the Aadhaar card; therefore, it cannot be considered a birth certificate. Amit Singh Bansal, Special Secretary of the Planning Department, issued the order to all departments. The Aadhaar card is no longer valid as a birth certificate," the UP government said in a notification.
A letter has been sent to the Additional Chief Secretaries/Chief Secretaries of all departments, stating that the Aadhaar card should not be accepted as proof of date of birth. The government has also instructed that Aadhaar should not be considered proof of date of birth in any government process, including appointments, promotions, service register amendments, or other sensitive documents.
Instead of Aadhaar cards, other original documents, such as a birth certificate, high school marksheet, or a certificate issued by a municipal body or the health department, can be submitted.
Citing a letter from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Amit Singh Bansal, Special Secretary of the Planning Department, said that since the Aadhaar card does not have any certified date of birth document attached to it, it cannot be considered valid as proof of date of birth.
Similar order in Maharashtra
Similarly, the Maharashtra government has directed officials to cancel birth or death certificates issued solely on the basis of an Aadhaar card.
Ordering an immediate crackdown on illegally obtained birth and death certificates across the state, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday asked officials to call all suspicious entries and initiate criminal proceedings if any discrepancies are found between the information in applications and the date of birth mentioned on Aadhaar cards.
"The government will not tolerate bogus certificates. Any birth or death certificate issued solely on the basis of an Aadhaar card, or found to be suspicious, must be cancelled immediately and a police complaint should be filed," he said.
A circular issued by the revenue department on Thursday said that "certificates issued solely on the strength of an Aadhaar card will be treated as defective, as the document cannot be accepted as proof of birth or place of birth under Central guidelines."
"District collectors and divisional commissioners must hold special drives and dispose of pending cases through dedicated camps," the circular added.
