Notification for making Aadhar mandatory for Niramaya for Children

1813 GI/202 4 (1) EXTRAORDINARY PART II —Section 3 —Sub-section ( ii) PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY No. 1206] NEW DELHI, TUE SDAY , MARCH 1 2, 2024 /PHALGUNA 22, 1945 CG-DL-E-14032024-252953 MINI STRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT [Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan)] NOTIFICATION New Delhi, the 29th February, 2024 S.O. 1268(E).—Whereas, the use of Aadhaar as identity document for delivery of services or benefits or subsidies simplifies the Government delivery processes, brings in transparency and efficiency, and enables beneficiaries to get their entitlements directly to them in a convenient and seamless manner and Aadhaar obviates the need for producing multipl e documents to prove one’s identity; And whereas, the National Trust for the Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice a nd Empowerment (hereinafter referred as the Department) in the Government of India is administering the Health Insurance Scheme (Niramaya - Health Insurance) (hereinafter r eferred to as the Scheme) as a Central Sector Scheme, which is being implemented through its Registered Organisations across the country (hereinafter referred to as the Implementing Agency); And whereas, under the Scheme, an affordable health insurance (he reinafter referred to as the benefits) is given to the persons with disabilities covered under the National Trust Act who are below the age of 18 years (hereinafter referred to as the beneficiaries), by the implementing Agency as per the Scheme and extend guidelines issued thereunder; And whereas, the implementation of the Scheme involves recurring expenditure incurred from the Consolidated Fund of India; Now, therefore, in pursuance of section 7 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subs idies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (18 of 2016) ( hereinafter referred to as the said Act ), the Central Government hereby notifies the following, namely: - 1. (1) a child (persons with disabilities who are below the age of 18 years) desirous of availing the benefit under the Scheme shall be required to furnish proof of possession of the Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication. (2) any child desirous of availing the benefit under the Scheme, who does not possess the Aadha ar number, or has not yet enrolled for Aadhaar, shall be required to make application for Aadhaar enrolment subject to the consent of his parents or guardians, before registering for the Scheme, provided such child is entitled to obtain Aadhaar as per sect ion 3 of the said Act and that child shall visit any Aadhaar enrolment centre (list available at Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) website www.uidai.gov.in) to get enrolled for Aadhaar; (3) as per regulation 12 of the Aadhaar (Enro lment and Update) Regulations, 2016, the Ministry or Department, through its Implementing Agency, is required to offer Aadhaar enrolment facilities for the beneficiaries who are not yet enrolled for Aadhaar and in case there is no Aadhaar enrolment centre located in the respective Block or Taluka or Tehsil, the Ministry/Department through its Implementing Agency shall provide Aadhaar enrolment facilities at convenient locations in coordination with the existing Registrars of Unique Identification Authority of India or by becoming Unique Identification Authority of India Registrar themselves: Provided that till the time Aadhaar is assigned to the child, benefits under the Scheme shall be given to such child, subject to production of the followin g documents, namely: - (a) (i) if the beneficiary was enrolled after the age of five years (with biometrics collection), his Aadhaar Enrolment Identification slip, or of bio -metric update identification slip, or; (ii) a copy of the request made f or Aadhaar enrolment by the beneficiary; and (b) any one of the following identity documents of the beneficiary, namely: - (i) Birth Certificate; or Record of birth issued by the appropriate authority; or (ii) School identity ca rd, duly signed by the principal of the school, containing parents’ names; and (c) any one of the following documents as proof of relationship of the beneficiary with the parent or legal guardian as per the extant Scheme guidelines, namely: – (i) Birth C ertificate; or Record of birth issued by the appropriate authority; or (ii) Ration Card; or (iii) Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) Card; or Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Card; or Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) Card; or (iv) Pension Card; or (v) Army Canteen Card; or (vi) any Government Family Entitlement Card; or (vii) any other document as specified by the Department: Provided further that the above documents shall be checked by an officer specifically designated by the Ministry/Department f or that purpose. 2. In order to provide benefits to the beneficiaries under the Scheme conveniently, the Ministry or Department, through its Implementing Agency, shall make all the required arrangements to ensure that wide publicity through media shal l be given to the beneficiaries to make them aware of the said requirement. 3. Where Aadhaar authentication fails due to poor biometrics of the beneficiaries or due to any other reason, the following remedial mechanisms shall be adopted, namely: - (a) in case of poor fingerprint quality, iris scan or face authentication facility shall be adopted for authentication, and the Ministry/Department through its Implementing Agency shall make provisions for iris scanners or face authentication along with finger print authentication for delivery of benefits in seamless manner; (b) in case the biometric authentication through fingerprints or iris scan or face authentication is not successful, wherever feasible and admissible, authentication by Aadhaar O ne Time Password or Time -based One-Time Password with limited time validity, as the case may be, shall be offered; (c) in all other cases, where biometric or Aadhaar One Time Password or Time -based One -Time Password authentication is not possible, benefits under the Scheme may be given on the basis of physical Aadhaar letter whose authenticity can be verified through the Quick Response code printed on the Aadhaar letter and the necessary arrangement of Quick Response code reader shall be provided at convenient locations by the Ministry or Department through its Implementing Agency. 4. Notwithstanding anything contained herein above, no child shall be denied benefit under the Scheme in case of failure to establish his identity by undergoing aut hentication, or furnishing proof of possession of Aadhaar number, or in the case of a child to whom no Aadhaar number has been assigned, producing an application for enrolment, the benefit shall be given to him by verifying his identity on the basis of oth er documents as mentioned in clauses (b) and (c) of the proviso of sub -paragraph (3) of paragraph 1, and where benefit is given on the basis of such other documents, a separate register shall be maintained to record the same, which shall be reviewed and a udited periodically by the Ministry or Department through its Implementing Agency. 5. This notification shall come into effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette in all the States and Union territory Administration. [No. P -13013/ 24/2023 -UDID/IT/STATISTICS] RAJEEV SHARMA, Jt. Secy . Uploaded by Dte. of Printing at Government of India Press, Ring R oad, Mayapuri, New Delhi -110064 and Published by the Controller of Publications, Delhi -110054.