UIDAI to start 'Aadhaar Seva Kendras' similar to Passport Seva Kendras

In the latest development, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is set to introduce 'Aadhaar Seva Kendras' similar to that of Passport Seva Kendras in as many as 53 cities across India. The 'Aadhaar Seva Kendras' project would cost around Rs 300 to Rs 400 crores, official sources told PTI. 

The upcoming UIDAI’s Aadhaar Seva Kendras are being made to facilitate enrolment, updation and other activities currently being run by banks and post offices, and in government premises (offering similar Aadhaar services), they added.

The Aadhar Seva Kendra will give people the necessary facility to book appointments in advance for the services, the officials familiar with development said and added that every metro will have four centres while other major cities will have two centres each.

The proposed Aadhar Seva Kendra will be operational by April 2019.

UIDAI firmly believed that this would lead individuals to use the services such as enrolment and updation.

The Supreme Court on October 26 had declared that the Centre's Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid but said it is not compulsory to link it with bank accounts, mobile phones and school admissions. 

A Supreme Court bench headed by former Chief Justice Dipak Misra held that Aadhar would be mandatory for allotment of Permanent Account Number (PAN) and for filing IT returns.

(With inputs from PTI)