It's not mandatory to link Aadhaar to existing insurance policies in line with the Supreme Court order that extended the deadline indefinitely till a final verdict on petitions challenging the validity of the world's largest biometric database.
New insurance policies still have to be linked with Aadhaar at the time of registration, a circular released by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India today said. Policyholders will be given six months from the date of buying the insurance policy to submit the Aadhaar number. In absence of it, “officially valid document” mentioned in rules will have to be submitted, the order said.
Earlier, in a circular dated Nov. 8, the insurance regulator had asked all general, life and standalone health insurers to link existing and new policies with customers' Aadhaar and Permanent Account Number with immediate effect.
The Supreme Court's on March 13 extended the deadline for linking the 12-digit Aadhaar ID to bank accounts, mobile phones and other services indefinitely. It, however, remains mandatory for availing government's welfare benefits.
Also Read: Supreme Court Extends Deadline For Linking Aadhaar
The top court is hearing a batch of petitions that challenged the Aadhaar identification programme citing privacy concerns. There have also been concerns about possible leak and theft of the Unique Identification Authority of India's data and the potential damage that may cause.
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