Aadhaar issuing body Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has temporarily bared Bharti Airtel and Airtel Payments Bank from performing the SIM verification of its customers using e-Know Your Customer (KYC).
This is taken in wake of the allegations of Bharti Airtel using the Aadhaar-eKYC based SIM verification process for opening payments bank accounts of its subscribers without their ‘informed consent’.
According to the sources, UIDAI in an interim order suspended e-KYC licence key of Bharti Airtel and Airtel Payment Bank Ltd with immediate effect.
UIDAI also expressed its strong objection on the allegations pointed towards linking of payments bank accounts to receive LPG subsidy.
Reportedly, more than 23 lakh customers have received as much as Rs 47 crore in their Airtel Payments Bank accounts, that they did not open.
This means that the mandatory Aadhaar verification of mobile customers which was required to be completed by March 31, will now have to be carried out physically by Airtel’s customers.
More than 23 lakh customers have reportedly received as many as Rs 47 crore in their Airtel bank accounts, which they did not know had been opened.
