**Executive Summary**
This document is the response of the Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development to Unstarred Question No. 1404 regarding Aadhaar-based schemes and programmes, answered on December 9, 2025. The response clarifies the role of Aadhaar in government schemes, emphasizing its use for transparent benefit delivery and identity verification. It also highlights provisions for individuals without Aadhaar, ensuring they are not denied benefits.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Aadhaar and Identity Verification:**
* The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issues Aadhaar to residents of India for identity verification.
* Ministries/Departments of Central and State Governments use Aadhaar in their schemes/programmes for transparent benefit delivery.
* **Aadhaar Act Provisions:**
* Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act allows the Government to require Aadhaar for certain schemes funded from the Consolidated Fund of India/State.
* If someone does not have Aadhaar, they cannot be denied benefits; they must apply for Aadhaar and can use alternative identity documents in the meantime.
* More than 2800 government schemes have been notified under section 7 of the Aadhaar Act.
* Section 4(6) mandates that user departments/agencies must inform Aadhaar holders of alternate means of identification and cannot deny service for refusing authentication.
* Section 4(7) states that mandatory authentication of an Aadhaar number holder shall take place only if such authentication is required by a law made by Parliament.
* **Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) Stance:**
* MoRD uses Aadhaar to ensure transparency and direct benefit transfer in its major schemes.
* MoRD reiterates that no eligible beneficiary is denied benefits due to the non-availability of Aadhaar, and alternative identity documents are accepted.
**Impact Analysis**
**Beneficiaries of Government Schemes:**
* **Impact:** The document clarifies their rights regarding access to benefits, regardless of Aadhaar availability. They can access benefits even if they do not have Aadhaar, provided they apply and use alternative ID.
* **Action Required:** If a beneficiary does not have an Aadhaar card, they should apply for one. They need to provide an alternate ID until they receive their Aadhaar.
**Ministries and Departments of Central and State Governments:**
* **Impact:** The document reinforces the need to accept alternative forms of identification, and inform users about alternate forms of identification, ensuring no eligible beneficiary is denied benefits due to the non-availability of Aadhaar.
* **Action Required:** Implement procedures for accepting alternative IDs and educating beneficiaries about available alternatives.
**UIDAI:**
* **Impact:** UIDAI's role as the issuer of Aadhaar for identity verification is re-emphasized.
* **Action Required:** Continued provision of Aadhaar services to residents of India and authentication services to various government bodies.
Key Entities Referenced
Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016: Act that governs the use of Aadhaar for delivery of financial and other subsidies, benefits, and services.
Aadhaar: Unique identification number issued to residents of India by UIDAI, used for identity verification and authentication.
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI): Authority responsible for issuing Aadhaar to residents of India.
Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD): Ministry responsible for implementing schemes requiring Aadhaar for accessing public benefits, ensuring transparency and direct benefit transfer.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1404
ANSWERED ON 09/12/2025
AADHAAR-BASED SCHEMES AND PROGRAMMES
1404. Shri Adhikari Deepak Dev:
Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:
(a) the details of schemes and programmes initiated by the
Government which require Aadhaar card to access public
benefits;
(b) whether the Government has made it mandatory for
benficiaries to have an Aadhaar card to access benefits, if so,
the details thereof;
(c) whether there have been cases reported where benefits were
not provided to people on non-availability of Aadhaar card, if
so, the details thereof; and
(d) whether the Government accepts documents excluding
Aadhaar card, if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)
(a) to (d): As per the information provided by Ministry of Electronics
and Information Technology, Unique Identification Authority of India
(UIDAI) issues Aadhaar to the residents of India and provides
authentication services for identity verification of Aadhaar holder.
The scheme implementing Ministries/Departments of Central and
State Governments use Aadhaar in their schemes/programmes for
transparent delivery of benefits, by establishing identity of
individual.
As per section 7 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial
and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, Aadhaar may
be required by the Government for certain schemes, which are
funded from Consolidated Fund of India/State, for verifying the
Page 1 of 2identity of beneficiaries to prevent fraud and ensure that the
benefits reach the right people.
The Act also states that if someone doesn’t have Aadhaar, they
cannot be denied benefits. In such cases, they have to apply for
Aadhaar and till the time, the Aadhaar is not issued, they can use
alternative identity documents to access the scheme. This ensures
that no eligible person is excluded from government schemes due to
a lack of Aadhaar.
As on date, more than 2800 government schemes have been
notified under section 7 of the Aadhaar Act for use of Aadhaar.
Further, section 4(6) of the Aadhaar Act mandates that every
user department/agency shall inform to the Aadhaar number holder
of alternate and viable means of identification and shall not deny
any service to him for refusing to, or being unable to, undergo
authentication.
Also, Section 4(7) of the act states that mandatory
authentication of an Aadhaar number holder for the provision of any
service shall take place only if such authentication is required by a
law made by Parliament.
In line with this framework, Ministry of Rural Development
(MoRD) clarifies that Aadhaar is used in its major schemes primarily
to ensure transparency and direct benefit transfer. However, MoRD
reiterates that no eligible beneficiary is denied benefits due to
non-availability of Aadhaar, and alternative identity documents are
accepted until Aadhaar is issued.
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