Airtel gets reprieve from UIDAI over Aadhaar based e-KYC

After a temporary ban, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has restored Bharti Airtel's authorization to perform Aadhaar based e-KYC verification with certain terms and conditions.

According to UIDAI's conditions, the telecom operator will have to submit quarterly reports on compliance with Aadhaar Act and adhere to directions issued by the UIDAI from time to time.

Both Airtel and Airtel Payments Bank faced severe criticism last year after the telecom operator allegedly opened payments bank accounts of its mobile subscribers without seeking their "informed consent", and LPG subsidy worth crores was deposited into these accounts.

The government and the UIDAI temporarily barred the company from conducting Aadhaar-based SIM verification of mobile customers and e-KYC of payments bank clients. It later allowed Bharti Airtel to use Aadhaar for re-verification of its mobile customers for a fixed duration, with stiff riders attached. However, with the latest move, the UIDAI has now conditionally restored the eKYC license key of Bharti Airtel.

The ban on Airtel's Payments Bank, however, has not been lifted.