(LiveMint)
A month after the Indian Banks’ Association questioned the jurisdiction of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in issuing directions to banks, the UIDAI has relaxed its policy of appointing banks as Aadhaar enrolment agencies.
According to a circular issued on 9 November, the UIDAI has allowed banks to outsource enrolment to third-party agencies provided enrolment happens inside bank premise under the direct supervision of designated bank employees who have to sign off on the enrolment process.
“The bank shall be required to engage one of its employees as supervisor-cum-verifier for every enrolment centre that will biometrically authenticate the enrolment done in the branches as per the UIDAI process laid down by Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulation 2016,” said the circular, a copy of which has been reviewed by Mint.
The clarification comes a month after UIDAI made it mandatory for banks to act as both the Aadhaar registrar and enrolment agency. UIDAI had also said banks should not engage with private agencies for Aadhaar enrolment of their customers. However, banks led by the Indian Banks’ Association had objected to this decision as enrolment was not the primary role of a bank.
