Digital Desk: Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju told the Lok Sabha on Friday that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship.
According to news agency PTI, the Lok Sabha has been notified that third parties and government entities will not access the link between Aadhaar and voter identity cards.
Kiren Rijiju answered a written question on whether such a potential exists and if there are products to approve or reject access. Reportedly, he stated, "No such relationship would be made."
To a question about the government's rationale for using Aadhaar as a "legitimate means to authenticate citizenship" and whether the government has formulated a protocol for authenticating citizenship using Aadhaar, Rijiju said that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship, as per reports.
Moreover, Rijiju responding to a separate question during Question Hour he said that it is difficult to put a cap or regulate the "exorbitant" fees charged by some lawyers in the country, but that efforts are being made to encourage good lawyers to take up cases of the needy for free or at minimal fees.
Notably, Parliament recently passed a measure to integrate the Aadhaar database with voter lists to reduce duplicate entries.
The deadline for linking a PAN with an Aadhaar card number has been extended till March 31, 2022, by the Income Tax Department (ITD). PAN cards that are not linked to Aadhaar cards will be declared inactive after March 31. In addition, if a defaulter fails to provide PAN card information, a penalty of Rs 10,000 may be imposed.
The national government has made linking PAN with Aadhaar mandatory to increase transparency, particularly during financial transactions.
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