UIDAI clarifies the news over disconnection of 50 crore mobile numbers over Aadhaar card, says 'media reports are false and untrue'

The earlier reports in the media regarding the disconnection of 50 crore mobile networks across India has been proven to be false as the Aadhar issuing agency Unique Identity Authority of India and Department of Telecommunication has issued a joint statement in the same.

The media reports have earlier suggested that the 50-crore mobile connection will have to go through another process of Know Your Customer (KYC), and if unable to proceed with it, the mobile numbers might get disconnected.

The issue came to the forefront after the Supreme Court’s verdict last month on Aadhaar issue, where the apex court restricted the private companies from using Aadhaar and even discontinued the mandatory process of issuing sim cards by procuring Aadhaar card only.

The Department of Telecommunications and UIDAI cleared the air and said “a few reports in media that 50 Cr mobile no, almost half of total mobiles in circulation, are at risk of disconnection, are completely untrue & imaginary.”

Earlier, the news agency PTI had quoted a circular issued to the telecom service providers saying “all TSPs are called upon to immediately take actions in order to comply with the judgment dated 26.09.2018. In this regard, TSPs are hereby directed to submit by 15th October, 2018 an action plan/exit plan to the authority for closure of use of Aadhaar based authentication systems..."

The media reports doing round since yesterday about the delinking of Aadhar card and the process of new KYC came from a source in the Telecommunication department but it was “false and untrue” as stated today by the UIDAI.

Also read: Alert! 50 crore mobile SIM cards procured on the basis of Aadhaar could be disconnected