Govt Admits Broader Implications of Identity Fraud; Accused in Siddique Murder 'Carried' Aadhaar Cards

The accused in the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique have been found carrying Aadhar cards, the authenticity of which is yet to be ascertained.

New Delhi: Admitting the fact that there is a huge fraud and misuse of Government documents like Aadhar, the Centre has assured a Parliamentary Committee that it would thoroughly investigate the fraudulent issuance of Aadhaar cards.

The government acknowledged the broader implications of identity fraud and impersonation, especially in cases involving property disputes and criminal activities.

This comes at a time when the accused involved in the murder of NCP leader and former minister Baba Siddique’s murder on Saturday have been found carrying an Aadhar card. However, the authenticity of their Aadhar cards is yet to be ascertained.

Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, S Krishnan acknowledged before the committee about the broader implications of identity fraud and impersonation, especially in cases involving property disputes and criminal activities.

When the Committee raised concerns regarding the security and integrity of data, particularly concerning electoral rolls and Aadhaar cards, Krishnan took note of growing instances of misuse of forged documents like Aadhaar Cards, PAN cards, ration cards, voter identity cards, etc. for various unlawful activities such as fraudulently inclusion of names in electoral rolls, making identity thefts, financial frauds, impersonation, cheating, executing illegal land deals, money laundering, drug trafficking etc.

“The Ministry had prepared a Data Centre Policy after due consultations, and forwarded the same to the Ministry of Finance for their concurrence,” said Krishnan. He further said that the Ministry of Finance didn’t agree with proposed fiscal incentives due to the perception that private sector investment in Data Centres was already adequate and business people are coming forward in the private sector to establish data centres,” Krishnan said to the Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances.

It was further informed that currently, there are 778 Data Centres across India, primarily in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, NCR Delhi, Karnataka, and Telangana, with a total capacity of 778 megawatts. The Government has also established State Data Centres with a capacity of about 50 megawatts.

With regard to Aadhaar related fraudulent activities, the Secretary acknowledged the gravity of the situation and assured the Committee that the Ministry would thoroughly investigate the fraudulent issuance of Aadhaar cards.

Krishnan emphasized the need for stringent measures to prevent such abuses of the Aadhaar system and promised to pursue necessary actions against individuals involved in criminal activities related to Aadhaar cards.

Representatives from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) said that in cases of senior citizens and persons with physical disabilities, there is a provision whereby the staff of Aadhaar Seva Kendra visit them at home and take necessary action.

Krishnan mentioned the high success rate of face authentication, reducing the need for biometric verification. He further explained that the current provision requiring individuals to be present in person for enrolling for an Aadhaar card is to prevent the issuance of fraudulent Aadhaar cards.

Moreover, with regard to the difficulties and problems faced by senior citizens and pensioners in biometrics, the representative of UIDAI informed that special camps are organized by the Department of Pensioners and Pensioners' Welfare every year for on-the-spot generation of the Digital Life Certificate for the pensioners.

“During such camps, UIDAI provides the necessary support using biometric, iris or face authentication. Facility for generation of Digital Life Certificates is available to all Central Government pensioners and will be made available to pensioners under State Governments, in due course,” the representatives said.

Last year, around 19 lakhs of digital life certificates were generated in the month of November, 2023 and out of that, close to 18 lakhs were generated by face authentication, without the requirement of fingerprints.