UIDAI cautions against paid printing of Aadhaar cards

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has cautioned Aadhaar owners against traders charging Rs 200 for printing the ID on a plastic card and said that its printout on a paper for official use was perfectly valid.

The authority, which manages Aadhaar, has also warned e-commerce companies such as E-bay, Flipkart and Amazon to discourage people involved in such activities using their platform as aiding such persons in any manner may amount to a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment.

“The Aadhaar card or the downloaded Aadhaar card printed on an ordinary paper is perfectly valid for all uses. If a person has a paper Aadhaar card, there is absolutely no need to get his/her Aadhaar card laminated or obtain a plastic Aadhaar card or so called Smart Aadhaar card by paying money,” UIDAI Director General and Mission Director Ajay Bhushan Pandey said in a statement. Pandey also stressed that there is no concept such as smart Aadhaar card.

The UIDAI said it has come to notice that some unscrupulous entities who are charging Rs 50 to Rs 200 for printing Aadhaar on a plastic card in the name of smart card, as the Aadhaar letter or its cutaway portion or downloaded version of Aadhaar on ordinary paper is perfectly valid.