TURA, April 10: Social activist from South Garo Hills Greneth M Sangma has raised concern over the growing trend of making Aadhaar mandatory for essential services, specifically regarding LPG distribution and eKYC compliance through recent advisories issued by District Commissioner (Supply) offices in West Garo Hills and East Khasi Hills.
“As reinforced by the Courts and the landmark Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) vs Union of India judgment by the Supreme Court, the Aadhaar Act explicitly refers to “residents” (defined as individuals residing in India for 182 days or more in the preceding 12 months) and not “citizens.” Therefore, Aadhaar cannot be treated as the sole proof of identity for a citizen’s entitlement to basic rights,” Greneth said, in a statement on Friday.
Greneth also referred to a recent HC ruling in his favour which clearly observed that the government should accept other valid documents such as PAN cards, Voter IDs, or Passports if Aadhaar is unavailable to ensure that essential services are not held hostage to a single digital ID.
“The judiciary has clarified that the non-possession of an Aadhaar number should not act as a disqualification for availing benefits under various schemes. Forcing consumers to provide a DAC number or complete Aadhaar-linked eKYC as a strict prerequisite for LPG delivery contradicts this principle of inclusivity,” he added, while urging concerned departments to ensure that no consumer is deprived of their right to essential fuel (LPG) due to the lack of an Aadhaar card, and to strictly follow the court’s guidance on accepting alternative identification.
