New Delhi:
Aadhaar may become the only cardrequired to identify a person, replacing Voter ID and PAN,Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in the Lok Sabha today.
Jaitley was replying to a debate on the Finance Bill and the accompanying 40 amendments to different laws including onemaking Aadhaar mandatory for filing of income tax return from July as well as for applying for permanent account number.
The unique identification number Aadhaar may become thesingle identify card in future, he said.
"A stage may come when unique identity card (aadhaar) maybecome the sole card. There are many countries where such a situation exists. There is a social security number in America and in India it (Aadhaar) could be the counterpart," he said.
Explaining the rationale behind making Aadhaar mandatoryfor filing income tax returns, Jaitley said the move is aimedat curbing tax evasion.
He said as many as 98 per cent of adults or 108 crorepeople have Aadhaar number. For filing I-T returns, they caneither give the number or mention that they have applied forAadhaar.
"...but the government won't allow them to evade tax," he said.
Jaitley said more people were required to be brought intothe tax system and that is why the tax slab has been loweredthis year.
As parties like BJD opposed the move to make Aadhaarmandatory for filing of Income Tax returns and making PANapplication, Jaitley said, "Aadhaar has biometric details, soits chances of misuse become minimal. When the country has somuch technology, and when it is being put to use, then whycreate such a hue and cry about it. It is an anti-evasionmeasure which will benefit the country.So the governmentconsiders it right to implement it," he said.
When Mohammed Salim (CPIM) remarked that if Aadhaar was souseful then why doesn't the government make it an purposecard, Jaitley said "A stage may come when unique identity card(aadhaar) may become the sole card".
