NEW DELHI: Faced with criticism for forcing people to link their Aadhaar numbers with their mobile connection, thereby creating scope for privacy invasion, the government is considering the option of allowing other identity proofs to complete the verification process. No final call has been taken on the matter though," an official source said.The source further added, "It must be in conformity with the mandate laid down by the Supreme Court . "The telecom ministry had issued instructions to mobile companies to link Aadhaar with mobile phones after a suggestion by the Supreme Court (on a plea filed by Lok Niti foundation) for a credible authentication mechanism. "Seperately, the government said it would soon issue instructions to ensure authentication for people who do not have an Aadhaar card. "It is the government's endeavour to improve convenience and reduce time and energy spent by consumers to accessing government information and services," Sinha said.Nearly 50 crore mobile numbers are already registered in the Aadhaar database.

Source: Times of India October 25, 2017 20:37 UTC