The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will charge private players Rs. 3 including taxes for successful authentication of users through Aadhaar e-KYC, according to draft regulations released on September 15, 2021. Each yes/no authentication request sent to UIDAI will also cost companies Rs. 0.50 per transaction. All government bodies will be exempt from such charges, according to the proposed rules. UIDAI is accepting suggestions on the draft pricing structure till October 6. This month, the government also allowed telecom companies to issue new SIM cards using Aadhaar e-KYC. As UIDAI drafts new Aadhaar e-KYC pricing for private players, the legality of such use-cases remains disputed after the Supreme Court explicitly disallowed private access to Aadhaar in 2018. What do UIDAI's Draft Aadhaar e-KYC Pricing Rules propose? Prices for private players: The Rs. 3 price for Aadhaar based e-KYC transactions will supersede the Re. 1 charge suggested earlier. For yes/no authentication services, UIDAI proposes a charge of Rs. 0.50, even in cases of transaction failure. No charges for government bodies: Authentications done by state and central governments for the transfer of benefits and services will be exempt from all charges. License fee: The license fee to conduct Aadhaar authentications, as well as financial disincentives, will be charged separately from authentication charges. Deadline for payment: Private players will be required to clear dues within 15 days of invoice, failing which the UIDAI will charge an interest of 1.5% per month on the due amount. Transaction error code charges: The proposed authentication charges do not…
