The Uttar Pradesh government  announced that Aadhaar cards will no longer be accepted as a birth certificate or as proof of date of birth for official purposes. The planning department has issued instructions to all departments in this regard. Amit Singh Bansal, Special Secretary of the Planning Department, issued an order directing all departments to immediately stop accepting Aadhaar for confirming the date of birth in any form.

Aadhaar no longer accepted as birth proof in UP

According to the state government, since no birth certificate is attached to the Aadhaar card, it cannot be considered a valid proof of birth. Therefore, it will no longer be accepted as a birth certificate for any purpose in the stated. This move comes amid reports of widespread misuse of Aadhaar details to obtain birth certificates, particularly in delayed or suspicious registrations.

The official notification stated, “The letter from the Deputy Director, UIDAI, Regional Office, Lucknow, which makes it clear that the Aadhaar card is not an admissible proof of date of birth. However, several departments in the state government continue to accept Aadhaar as a birth-date document. Therefore, all departments are requested to ensure that Aadhaar is not accepted as proof of date of birth.”

Birth certificates issued through Aadhaar to be cancelled in Maharashtra

Similarly, in Maharashtra, Aadhaar will not be considered as a document for making a delayed birth certificate and all birth certificates made only through the Aadhaar card after the Births and Deaths Registration (Amendment) Act, 2023, will be cancelled. The State Revenue Department issued notification in this regard, with Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule ordering the cancellation of all suspicious certificates issued using Aadhaar cards.

The government has taken this decision to stop fake birth certificates and death certificates from being used for illegal purposes. Moreover, instructions have been given to take action against the officers who have issued these certificates till now. The 16-point verification guideline by the Revenue Department states that the orders issued by the Deputy Tehsildar after the amendment made in the Birth and Death Registration Act, 1969, on August 11, 2023, should be withdrawn, and the withdrawn order should be verified at the level of the competent authority or the District Collector.