Sex workers can also apply for an Aadhaar Card if they have a certificate issued by a NACO official.
New Delhi: Sex workers can now apply for Aadhaar Cards without residence proof or an identity card, provided they have a certificate issued by a gazetted officer of the health departments of the States.
Sex workers can also apply for an Aadhaar Card if they have a certificate issued by an official working with the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) told the Supreme Court on Monday, February 28.
UIDAI informed the Supreme Court that no other domicile certificate will be asked from sex workers for issuing an Aadhaar card if they have the right certificate.
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Aadhaar Card has become one of the crucial documents required by Indian nationals for availing of several services offered by central and private companies. The document is also required to receive benefits under various state-sponsored schemes.
An Aadhaar card contains the name, date of birth, biometric details, e-mail ID, and phone number, among others, of the cardholder. The 12 digit number is a digital identity of an Indian individual.
UIDAI informed the Supreme Court that no other domicile certificate will be asked from sex workers for issuing Aadhaar cad if they have the right certificate. The authority will not ask for residential proof for issuing Aadhaar cards to sex workers.
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The matter was going in the Supreme Court since 2011. The Supreme Court was concerned about the lack of food security for lakhs of sex workers in India. The plight increased manifold with the pandemic.
UIDAI is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016. The agency’s responsibilities include issuing the Aadhaar Card and making changes to the document.
