Nobody can be denied vaccines if they do not have Aadhaar: UIDAI

Following reports that residents are being denied vaccination and other essential services for want of Aadhaar, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Saturday said that no one would be denied vaccine, medicine, hospitalization or treatment in case of its absence.

UIDAI said that if one does not have an Aadhaar or if online verification is not successful, the concerned agency or department has to provide the service as per Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, which ensures that there is no exclusion or denials. The UIDAI added that the Aadhaar must not be misused as an excuse for denial of any essential services. The Aadhaar has a well-established exception handling mechanism (EHM) which should be followed to ensure the delivery of essential services in the absence of Aadhaar.

Aadhaar is meant to bring transparency and accountability in public service deliveries through effective use of technology, said UIDAI. They further advised that in case of any denial of service/ benefit, the matter should be brought to the knowledge of the higher authorities of the concerned departments.