Aadhaar To Be Linked With Driving Licence Soon: Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

The government could soon make linking your driving licence with your Aadhar as mandatory. Union Law and Justice and Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravishankar Prasad shared the news recently at the 106th Indian Science Congress earlier this week in Phagwara, Punjab. Speaking at the event, Prasad said, “We are going to make another big change in the law of which bill is pending in Parliament. Soon linking motor vehicle licenses with the Aadhaar will be mandatory." The union minister described Aadhar as the biggest transformation to verify the identity of any individual.

Elaborating on the need for Aadhaar to be linked to driving licences, Prasad said, “Suppose, a drunk man killed four persons and fled from Punjab to any other state to get a duplicate licence issued using different identity. After linking Aadhaar, one can change the name but cannot change the biometrics. The moment one tries to get issued duplicate licence using a different identity, the system will immediately say the person is already having a licence and should not be given another licence. This is how we are changing the quality of life in India.”

The mandate will likely help curb the issue of fake licenses or duplicate licenses being issued. It will also help maintain a record of all the penalties that your licence will obtain on breaking rules, thereby making it harder to drive without paying fines. That said, the issue of data privacy and security that has been a consistent criticism of Aadhaar still looms over.

Speaking at the event, Prasad said that there are 124 crore Aadhar holders in India. Obtaining a driving licence in India has been a largely unorganised process over the years. While the recent years has seen the process move to a digital space, it still is a long way from being completely organised. Nevertheless, the government has been setting up better equipped driver training schools and a more seamless process to obtain a driving licence, should you meet the skill set required. That said, the complete process is yet to be achieved on a pan India level.