NEW DELHI: The Centre might relax compulsory requirement of Aadhaar in Meghalaya where the coverage is low.
This was hinted by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his reply to Shillong MP Vincent H Pala’s demand during discussions on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Pala said Aadhaar must not be made compulsory in hill states like Meghalaya where its coverage is about 30 per cent.
Enrolment for the unique biometric-enabled number called Aadhaar was temporarily suspended in Shillong following objections from KSU and other pressure groups. A few states, including West Bengal, have objected to compulsory implementation of Aadhaar.
Last September, the Supreme Court had said Aadhaar cannot be made mandatory for various services. Last month, however, the court asked the Centre to make it mandatory for mobile phone subscribers to link their phone numbers to Aadhaar.
