The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has announced that the Aadhaar card will no longer be an acceptable document for date of birth.
- The EPFO, under the Ministry of Labour and Employment in the Government of India, notified the removal of Aadhaar Card as an acceptable document for date of Birth after a directive from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
- Now, new Aadhaar cards and PDF versions of the identity document have started including a more explicit and prominent disclaimer that they are “a proof of identity, not of citizenship or date of birth.”
- It indicates that government departments and other organisations will not use it for those purposes.
- Aadhaar has never been proof of citizenship — foreign nationals are eligible to obtain one if they have been living in India for half a year — but different government departments accept it for purposes reserved for citizens or adults.
- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology clarified in a 2018 memorandum that Aadhaar is “per se … not a proof of date of birth,” as the date of birth is based on a different document given by Aadhaar applicants.
- The 12-digit ID is a proof of uniqueness and residence, but different government agencies accept it — often on a standalone basis — for any citizens establishing their identity.
