Will wait for Centre’s orders on UID: Sheila Dikshit

A day after the Supreme Court ruled that the Aadhar number was not mandatory for important public services, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said her government would wait for directions from the central government to make any changes in its schemes.

A day after the Supreme Court ruled that the Aadhar number was not mandatory for important public services, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said her government would wait for directions from the central government to make any changes in its schemes.

Dikshit said almost 99% Delhiites has registered for the Aadhar number and her government had linked several schemes with it. “We have spent crores of rupees on it. After the central government looks into the matter, we will see what to do. If we are allowed to link social schemes with Aadhar, then we will do it. As of now, we will wait for the Centre’s directions,” Dikshit said.

A bench of Justices BS Chauhan and SA Bobde on Monday had said that the Centre and state governments must not insist on Aadhar numbers from citizens before providing them essential services.

The Delhi government would continue to insist on furnishing of Aadhaar numbers unless told otherwise by the Centre, sources said.

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the government to not deny benefits to those not having an Aadhaar number.

The Delhi government was one of the first states to make Aadhaar card mandatory to avail of government services. The revenue department had made the card mandatory for getting marriages registered, selling or buying of properties and for getting pension and scholarships.

The UPA government’s much publicised food security programme had also been linked with the Aadhar number in Delhi.