Mumbai, February 16: The government has made it mandatory to link Aadhaar- the 12-digit unique identification number with a host of essential services. Even as the Supreme Court is hearing cases against the mandatory linking of Aadhaar card number with other services, the last day of linking Aadhaar to Permanent Account Number (PAN), mobile number, financial institutions, mutual funds and insurance policies is March 31, 2018. The deadline to link Aadhaar has been extended several times before as people have raised privacy concerns against its security and safety.

Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique-identity number issued to all Indian residents based on their biometric and demographic data. It will soon be mandatory for people to furnish their Aadhaar while applying and renewal of driving licence. Reports state that it would become mandatory from April 2018 onwards. This step will stop the issuance of multiple DLs under the same person’s name. The move will also help in suspending licences and finding fake licences as the biometric details of the Aadhaar card can help the traffic police department put a stop to such activities.

Here’s how to link Aadhaar with driving license in 4 easy steps:

It must be noted that an individual has to visit the website of their respective Road Transport Department.

  1. An individual is required to visit the official website of the Road Transport Department of the State that has issued your Driving Licence.

  2. Under the ‘Aadhaar Number Entry’ section on the page, select ‘Search Element’ as Driving Licence.

  3. Enter the Driving Licence No in the required field. Next, enter the Aadhaar number in the appropriate field

  4. Click on the ‘Submit’ button. You will receive an OTP on your registered mobile number. Enter the OTP to confirm the changes

Using the above information,  an individual can link your Aadhaar card number with the Driving licence from any state Transport department official website. The government intends to make the 12-digit unique identity number mandatory for carrying out a number of tasks.

Apart from PAN, bank accounts and mobile SIMs, the deadlines of linking Aadhaar have been extended for 139 schemes. An individual is also required to link the 12-digit unique identification number Aadhaar to mutual fund holdings, insurance policy, PPF and small savings schemes such as Kisan Vikas Patra.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 16, 2018 07:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).