Number of Aadhar Cards linked with PAN is 16,65,82,421

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New Delhi : As per the latest available information as on March 5, 2018, the number of Aadhaar cards linked with PAN is 16,65,82,421 . Further, as on March 2, 2018, altogether 8,779.65 lakh Current Accounts and Savings Accounts have been linked with Aadhaar.

There are number of security features with regard to Aadhaar linked financial transactions. Aadhaar linked financial transactions pass through multi-entity model such as, Bank (AUA- Authentication User Agency), NPCI (ASA- Authentication Service Agency) & UIDAI (Authentication/Biometric Data Custodian).

Security features as laid down by UIDAI are adhered to by each entity. The Biometric /authentication data is encrypted using PKI (Public Key Infrastructure). Only, authentication success or failure message is conveyed back to the user. The connectivity between bank, NPCI and UIDAI is also through secured encrypted private network. UIDAI has issued number of security guidelines, circulars and registered device security specification for AUA, ASA and Technology Solution Provider to comply.

Sharing of information or seeding of Aadhaar information with the authorised agencies is governed as per the provisions of the Aadhaar Act 2016. Section 29 (1) of the Aadhaar Act 2016 read together with Regulation 3(1) of the Aadhaar (Sharing of information) Regulations, 2016, categorically states that no core biometric information, collected or created under the Aadhaar Act, shall be shared with anyone for any reason whatsoever or used for any purpose other than generation of Aadhaar numbers and authentication under the Act.

Also, Regulation 4(1) of the Aadhaar (Sharing of information) Regulations, 2016 provides that core biometric information collected or captured by a requesting entity from Aadhaar number holder at the time of authentication shall not be shared for any reason whatsoever.

As per the latest information available as on March 2, 2018, altogether 6,811 Aadhaar enrolment/update centres are operational at bank branches. This was stated by Shiv Pratap Shukla, Minister of State for Finance, in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on March 9, 2018, according to a PIB release.