No refusal of vaccination, essential services lack of Aadhaar, says UIDAI

India’s Unique Identification Authority (UIDAI) said on Saturday that no one should be denied a vaccine, medicine, hospitalization or treatment just because they don’t have Aadhaar.

The UIDAI made it clear that Aadhaar should not be misused as an excuse to refuse any essential service. The declaration is of particular significance given the second severe wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which swept across the country.

In a statement, the UIDAI said that there is a well-established Exception Management Mechanism (EHM) for Aadhaar, and that it should be followed to ensure the delivery of benefits and services in the absence of the ’12-digit biometric identifier.

If a resident does not own Aadhaar for one reason or another, he should not be denied essential services in accordance with Aadhaar law.

“No one should be denied a vaccine, medicine, hospitalization or treatment for lack of Aadhaar,” UIDAI said, noting some reports that some essential services like hospitalization were denied to residents for lack of Aadhaar. .

If one does not have Aadhaar or if Aadhaar’s online verification fails for any reason, the relevant agency or department must provide the service in accordance with the specific standards set out in the Aadhaar Law of 2016, has t he informed.

The issuing body of Aadhaar indicated that in the event of refusal of service or provision, the matter should be brought to the attention of the higher authorities of the departments concerned.

UIDAI stressed that Aadhaar is supposed to bring transparency and accountability in public service delivery through efficient use of technology and that there are rules for handling exceptions issued by it through a circular dated October 24, 2017, to ensure that no beneficiary is denied benefits / services for the need of Aadhaar.

“In addition, the Aadhaar Law contains provisions relevant to Article 7 to ensure that there is no exclusion or denial. In addition, the OM Cabinet Secretariat of December 19, 2017 clearly explained the exception handling mechanism using other means of identification to extend benefits and services to residents who do not own Aadhaar or in cases where the ‘Aadhaar authentication fails for some reason, ”UIDAI said.

India recorded 3.26,098 cases of COVID-19 in one day which brought the total to 2.43.72,907, while 3,890 new deaths brought the death toll to 2.66,207, according to ministry data. Union Health updates Saturday.

The total number of Covid vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed the 18 crore mark.