After getting several allegations of Airtel using the Aadhar data for opening bank accounts of users without their knowledge, UIDAI has decided to ban Airtel, Airtel Payments Bank temporarily from doing Aadhaar-based SIM verification of the mobile customers using eKYC.
This means that from now on Airtel will not be able to link the mobile SIMs of its customers with their Aadhaar number through the electronic-verification. In addition to this, Airtel Payments Bank is now suspended from opening a new account with Aadhaar e-KYC. To open the new accounts Airtel can use other alternative methods if available.
When asked about this, an Airtel official said:
“We can confirm that we have received interim order from the UIDAI regarding temporary suspension of Aadhaar linked e-KYC services till their satisfaction on certain processes relating to Airtel payment banks onboarding of customers”
“We are engaging with the authority and are hopeful of an early resolution. We are also undertaking to complete the said actions on priority and have commenced thorough checks of our process flows,” he further added.
Over 23 lakh Airtel users have received more than Rs. 47 crore in their accounts, which they didn’t even open. Not only this, UIDAI revealed that the LPG subsidy was also getting transferred into the accounts, without any knowledge of customers. This is a sensitive matter and supreme court will look into the matter very seriously.
Airtel was sent the first notice for this issue on September 18 and its reply didn’t satsify UIDAI, which issued another notice on November 24. Airtel replied to this by saying that no account was opened without customers consent. But, UIDAI was still getting complains about this and it finally decided to suspend airtel’s license for conducting Aadhaar-based SIM verification.
