Chennai: Starting today, any correction to be made on your Aadhaar cards will be charged Rs 20 higher than what was charged in 2018.
The changes would be implemented at all Aadhaar Seva Kendras across Tamilnadu.
The Central government issues Aadhaar cards through Aadhaar Seva Kendras present in all district Collectors’ office, Corporation office, taluk headquearters and zonal offices in Tamilnadu. In addition to this around 1,435 Post Offices across the State also have Aadhaar Seva Kendras.
At these kendras, new Aadhaar cards could be obtained and, changes and corrections could be done. For the first time, one registers for an Aadhaar card, the government does not charge any fee. However, for subsequent changes and corrections, Rs 30 was collected as a service fee.
Following this, starting this new year, the government has decided that any change in individual Aadhaar cards would attract a fee of Rs 50, as against the earlier fee of Rs 30. Tamilnadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited Managing Director, John Louis has issued a circular to Aadhaar Seva Kendras in all districts in the State that any correction, change of photograph, date of birth change and fingerprint change would be charged Rs 50.
The circular also stated that Rs 30 would be charged to print a physical copy of the Aadhaar card. The new changes came into effect 1 January and would be implemented from today.
Rs 1 crore fine
The government has proposed a penalty of up to Rs 1 crore on entities that violate the provisions of the Aadhaar Act, with an additional fine of up to Rs 10 lakh per day in case of continuous non-compliance. A bill to this effect is expected to be introduced in Lok Sabha by Union Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today.
The government’s decision come after the Supreme Court in September ruled that the private companies can’t demand the 12-digit unique identity for providing services. “The telecom sector, which has been accepting Aadhaar for giving SIM cards cannot ask for Aadhaar number,” the apex court had noted on 23 September 2018 in its landmark judgment.
Under the amended law, firms violating provisions of the Aadhaar Act face a penalty of up to Rs 1 crore, with an additional fine of up to Rs 10 lakh per day for repeat non-compliance. The second change is that a UIDAI fund is proposed to be set up under Aadhaar Act whereby the authority will be exempt from taxes on income. The third change is that children holding Aadhaar can opt for cancellation of the 12-digit biometric identifier within six months of turning 18 with the consent of a parent or guardian.