What’s the news: While answering questions in the Lok Sabha on April 5, 2023, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) confirmed that there is no provision to deactivate the Aadhaar numbers of deceased persons. While the reason appears to stem from procedural issues, the government’s answer raises concerns about potential identity theft and data discrepancies. No mechanism to find deceased person’s Aadhaar: In their reply to the questions raised by MP advocate Adoor Prakash, the Ministry said, “At present, there is no mechanism to receive the Aadhaar number of deceased persons from the Registrars appointed by State Governments under the provisions of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, for the registration of births and deaths, to deactivate Aadhaar.” More clarification required from the government: Far from answering any questions, the government’s statement raises further queries like—What happens to the Aadhaar number of the deceased persons? What does the government do with this data? For how long is this data retained? Also, what happens in terms of subsidy schemes? For example, if a farmer dies and his Aadhaar number remains active, will his account continue to receive subsidies via schemes like PM-KISAN? Can Aadhaar numbers be used as fake identities? At various places in India, be it airports or government institutions, Aadhaar is used as an identity document. If a person’s Aadhaar number remains active even after death, what measures has the government taken to ensure there is no possibility of identity theft? If a foreigner wants…
