Aadhaar Mandatory for Driving Licence? PIB’s Press Release Error

On 31 July, after the Rajya Sabha passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill 2019, as per protocol, an official press release followed. Issued by the Press Information Bureau, the document was perfectly routine until one scrolled down to the portion which officially announced the Aadhaar having been made mandatory to obtain driving licences. Under a section titled ‘Reforms in Driving Licences’, the press release mentioned, “provision of online identity verification Aadhar Card has been made mandatory for making Driving Licences.” However, when The Quint analysed the amended Bill, it found no such provision specifying the mandatory nature of Aadhaar. Moreover, in the Supreme Court verdict on Aadhaar’s Constitutional validity, a five-judge Bench had pronounced that Aadhaar cannot be made mandatory for anything other than subsidies and taxes. So, where did this come from? When The Quint contacted the Press Information Bureau (PIB) seeking clarification, a senior official admitted that the sentence had been erroneously inserted.