Recently, The Supreme Court declared Aadhaar card scheme as constitutionally valid but imposed some restriction on its use and also struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act that permitted private entities like telecom companies and banks to use Aadhaar data.

In this verdict, the Supreme Court made it mandatory to use Aadhaar for PAN and ITR filing as well as the schemes related to subsidies given by Government of India but also said that the Telecom and Banking players can’t force the customers to link their Aadhaar with the facilities offered by them and made it not mandatory for all these facilities.

Mechanism of Aadhaar verification

Suppose you have submitted your Aadhaar card to the income tax department for the PAN card issuance, now the department sends a request to Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR) with your number and details provided for verification. The entity might send demographic (name, date of birth, etc.) or biometric (fingerprint, signature, etc.) data to the repository for verification. The CIDR does not share your personal information but merely responds with a ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’

Steps to check Who Has Used Your Aadhaar Card Information?

Now when you have given your Aadhaar for all the mandatory facilities as ID proof or otherwise, it could be useful to find out how to check if some entity has requested an authentication of your Aadhar card. How To Check When And Who Has Used Your Aadhaar Card Information? Here are the simple steps to know-

1. Go to Aadhaar Auth History site at https://uidai.gov.in/
2. Enter you Aadhar number and the security code in the boxes provided
3. Click on ‘Generate OTP’ (Generate OTP You should now receive an OTP as a text message on your registered mobile number)
4. On your screen, select type of authentication from options like ‘demographic,’ ‘biometric,’ ‘OTP,’ ‘Biometric and demographic’ and so on
5. You can also select ‘all’ to see all types of authentications
6. Select a date range to a maximum period of 6 months
7. Enter the number of records you want to view to the maximum is 50
8. Enter the OTP that you received in Step 4 in the box given

You will then be directed to the page displaying your Aadhaar authentication history that will display the date, time and type of authentication but not the name agency or entity who requested for it.

If any of the agency verified your Aadhaar data then a mail to your registered email id comes mentioning the type of verification method adopted and agency name.

Also read: Aadhaar virtual ID, how to generate it and where to use it and also Know how to access digital Aadhaar from Digilocker

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eCommerce major, Amazon India, has launched a card-less EMI option using Amazon Pay through which customers will be able to purchase high value items without using credit card.

This offer has been launched keeping in mind the festive season and to take on Walmart owned Flipkart and attract more customers.

“Amazon Pay EMI is the hassle-free way to get instant credit, via a completely digital process, for purchases using EMI on Amazon.in.”

The new cardless credit facility offers an EMI from INR 8000 to up to INR 60,000 over a period ranging from 3 to 12 months for any purchase made through Amazon.in.

Amazon customers need to complete a one-time setup process in order to avail the Amazon Pay EMI payment option checkout on Amazon.in to make payments over EMIs ranging from 3 upto 12 months.

Customers will also be able to keep a track of their purchases, repayments from a dashboard of this payment mode. Here are all the things you need to know about this new payment option from Amazon.

Steps to avail CardLess EMI Option

Amazon Pay EMI is available only for mobile platforms. The payment mode is applicable for single item purchases and the minimum purchase amount is INR 8,000 to avail Amazon Cardless EMI facility.

The e-commerce giant claims that users can get credit within 60 seconds and there are no processing fees or hidden charges of any kind. However, the feature is applicable only on single item purchases without an exchange offer.

Here customers need not to enter any credit/debit card details such as credit/debit card numbers etc.

1. Go to Amazon Pay EMI registration page on your Amazon.in mobile App
2. Tap on Amazon Pay EMI > Register
3. Provide your PAN and Aadhaar/Virtual ID (VID) details for verification
4. Complete the process of verification by entering the OTP received on your registered mobile number
5. Now Amazon sends an approved Amazon Pay EMI limit on your screen
6. Choose the auto-repayment option by selecting the debit cards from banks mentioned by Amazon
7. Link your bank account/debit card to process your monthly EMI repayments whenever you use this limit for booking
8. You will be charged for an amount of up to INR 5 to verify your details. This amount will be refunded to you in 3-5 business days

To be eligible for this facility, a customer needs an Amazon ID, a valid Aadhar or PAN card and a bank account. Banks currently supporting this facility include Canara Bank, Citi Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Kotak Bank.

Recently, Amazon pay acquired app aggregator Tapzo and invested in ToneTag for contactless payment.

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Aadhaar Virtual ID (VID) is the alternate way to share your Aadhaar number when actually you are suspicious about sharing your 12-digit main Aadhaar number. This Aadhaar VID will do the same authentication as real Aadhaar does.

It will allow you to authenticate transactions and e-know-your-customer (KYC) services instead of providing your Aadhaar number, to both private and government institutions.

The VID is a temporary, revocable (when you generate another VID, previous VID will become void) 16-digit random number mapped with the real Aadhaar number.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) stated that one’s Aadhaar number cannot be derived from the VID that is generated so it is safe to share your VID wherever it is needed. The VID can be used for the purpose of authentication in the same way the Aadhaar number is used.

How to generate Aadhaar Virtual ID?

1. Go to UIDAI resident portal
2. Click on Virtual ID generator at the Aadhaar services column
3. Give your Aadhaar number in the text box and fill the captcha or security code
4. It will send OTP (one time password) in your registered mobile number
5. Enter OTP in the right hand side text/input box
6. Select Generate VID/ Retrieve VID radio button and submit

This way, Aadhaar Number holders can generate their 16 Digit Virtual ID (VID).

Since this is a digital ID, Aadhaar holders can regenerate it multiple times, which makes it safer than providing your actual Aadhaar number. At present, the VID is valid for a minimum of one day, which means an Aadhaar holder would be able to re-generate a new VID a day after he has generated the first one. Further, there is no expiry period defined yet for the VID and it will be valid till the time a new one is generated by you.

Now-a-day there are number of startups opening and gaining success as well worldwide. Either it is online or offline, all the businesses and startups have to follow some/all of the guidelines laid out by their governments and related ministries/offices in their respective countries.

Register A Company or Startup Online In India

In India, registering a company or startup or any business has become quite easy. First and foremost, there are some official procedures a startup or a business has to follow in order to register them in Indian official records. MCA (Ministry of Corporate Affairs) is the central point where all the businesses/startups falls in and gets their registrations done.

Types of companies to register in India

1. Private Limited Company
2. Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)
3. One Person Company (OPC, this is also a private limited company with one person as Director)
4. Sole Proprietorship
5. General Partnership

From above types of entity registration, if you have a startup in which you need to raise funding in future through equity as the most preferred way, entrepreneurs have the option to get private limited company registered which limits the liability as well.

Process to register a company

MCA in recent days made it very simple to register any startup or business as a company in a few days only whereas it was very cumbersome few years back. Companies in India are registered with the Registrar of companies(ROC) under Companies Act 2013. Please find below on how to go about these processes when you want to register your company-

• • You can apply for registration just sitting at home. The registration includes some must follow rules and some registration like Digital Signature Certificate (DSC), Director Identity Number (DIN) and filing for an e-form.
  • These are four major steps:

• • Acquiring Digital Signature Certificate (DSC)
  • Acquiring Director Identification Number (DIN)
  • Preparing and filing Form INC-32
  • Incorporate the company, obtaining PAN/TAN/GST identification number and opening a bank account

Ministry of Corporate Affairs Introduced SPICe or Form INC-32. With this form (INC-32) Company registration has merged few processes like Getting Business Name Approval, Director’s Identification Number (DIN) and Incorporation Application into one single process.

Documents required to register a company

Before applying for the company, documents are required from the members/individuals need to be associate/partner/director of the new company as below-

1. Passport-sized photograph
2. Copy of PAN Card/Aadhaar Card
3. Latest Bank Statement/Telephone or Mobile Bill/Electricity or Gas Bill whatever available
4. Voter’s ID/Passport card
5. Notarized Rental Agreement in English
6. No-objection Certificate from property owner
7. Utility Bill for the registered address

Steps to register a company

1. Acquiring Digital Signature Certificate (DSC)

In order to ensure the security or authenticity of documents filed electronically The Information Technology  Act, 2000 demands a valid Digital Signature on the documents submitted in electronic form.

This is the only and safest way that one can submit their documents electronically. As such, all filings done by the companies/LLPs under MCA 21 e-Governance programme are required to be filed using Digital Signatures by the person authorized to sign the documents.

DSC is e-signature to help you complete the new company registration online. It Normally takes 2 days to obtain DSC after the submitting the documents.

2. Acquire Director Identification Number(DIN) through SPICe or Form INC-32

Each director of the company should obtain their identification number. As per the amendment act 2006, acquiring a DIN is compulsory for every director i.e. as such every existing and intending directors have to obtain their DIN.

Register yourself on MCA Website first and have a login id. The process includes Director’s Identification Number ( DIN number ), Name approval, Memorandum and Articles of association (e-MoA(INC-33) and e-AoA (INC-34)), Registered office verification and Appointment letters and declaration.

Once all these documents are ready, we have to file the forms for company formation after which we get the certificate of incorporation.

3. Create a account on MCA Portal – New user registration

This is about having a registered user account on MCA Portal for filing a eForm, for online fee payment, for different transactions as registered and business user. Creating an account is totally free of cost. To register yourself on the MCA portal, click on the register link.

4. Apply for the company to be registered

This is the final major step in a registration of your company which includes incorporating company name, Registering the office address or notice of situation of office and notice for appointment of company directors, manager and secretary.

5. Apply for company’s PAN and TAN

Once you get the certificate of incorporation, PAN & TAN is applied in the income tax department and finally open the bank account of the company.

6. Apply for company’s GST identification number

Depending upon the type and size of the business, you will need to apply for GST identification number.

This information may help you registering a new entity for your business and basic insight about the idea of company registration. Registering a new company online though a tough process and one needs to adhere various procedures and have strong knowledge of all if & but so better advised to get the help of any expert like CA/CS/Advocate who have experiences in this field. However, online procedures are not so tough now-a-days (as online help to do everything is available in the internet) which you can’t try…Good Luck

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As per the reports by Google (Alphabet Inc.) and Boston Consulting Group, India is headed for an exponential increase in digital payments methods and the digital payments industry in India becoming Asia’s third-largest economy. It is estimated that it will grow by 10 times to touch $500 billion by 2020 and contribute 15% of gross domestic product (GDP), the report predicted.

Introduction of smartphones, the entry of several non-banking institutions offering payment services, consumer readiness to adopt digital payments, progressive changes in the regulatory framework will power the trend, it said.

Also, the Digital India program is a flagship program of the Government of India with a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. “Faceless, Paperless, Cashless” is one of professed role of Digital India.

As part of promoting cashless transactions and converting India into less-cash society, various modes of digital payments are available as below-

1. Banking Cards (Debit / Credit / Cash / Travel / Others)

Banking cards offer consumers more security, convenience, and control than any other payment method. The wide variety of cards available – including credit, debit and prepaid – offers enormous flexibility, as well. These cards provide 2 factor authentication for secure payments e.g secure PIN and OTP. RuPay, Visa, MasterCard are some of the example of card payment systems. Payment cards give people the power to purchase items in stores, on the Internet, through mail-order catalogues and over the telephone. They save both customers and merchants’ time and money, and thus enable them for ease of transaction.

2. Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD)

The innovative payment service *99# works on Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) channel. This service allows mobile banking transactions using basic feature mobile phone, there is no need to have mobile internet data facility for using USSD based mobile banking. It is envisioned to provide financial deepening and inclusion of under banked society in the mainstream banking services.

*99# service has been launched to take the banking services to every common man across the country. Banking customers can avail this service by dialing *99#, a “Common number across all Telecom Service Providers (TSPs)” on their mobile phone and transact through an interactive menu displayed on the mobile screen. Key services offered under *99# service include, inter-bank account to account fund transfer, balance inquiry, mini statement besides host of other services. *99# service is currently offered by 51 leading banks & all GSM service providers and can be accessed in 12 different languages including Hindi & English as on 30.11.2016 (Source: NPCI). *99# service is a unique inter-operable direct to consumer service that brings together the diverse ecosystem partners such as Banks & TSPs (Telecom Service Providers).

3. Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS)

AEPS is a bank led model which allows online interoperable financial transaction at PoS (Point of Sale / Micro ATM) through the Business Correspondent (BC)/Bank Mitra of any bank using the Aadhaar authentication.

4. Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank), merging several banking features, seamless fund routing & merchant payments into one hood. It also caters to the “Peer to Peer” collect request which can be scheduled and paid as per requirement and convenience. Each Bank provides its own UPI App for Android, Windows and iOS mobile platform(s) such as Axis Pay, SBI Pay, PhonePe App, Google Tez App, BHIM UPI App, Bonus App – PNB UPI.

5. Mobile Wallets Or E-Wallets

A mobile wallet or E-Wallet is a way to carry cash in digital format. You can link your credit card or debit card information in mobile device to mobile wallet application or you can transfer money online to mobile wallet. Instead of using your physical plastic card to make purchases, you can pay with your smartphone, tablet, or smart watch. An individual’s account is required to be linked to the digital wallet to load money in it. Most banks have their e-wallets and some private companies and various startups have also launched E-Wallets in India. e.g. PayTM, Freecharge, Mobikwik, Oxigen, mRuppee, Airtel Money, Jio Money, SBI Buddy, itz Cash, Citrus Pay, Vodafone M-Pesa, Axis Bank Lime, ICICI Pockets, SpeedPay etc . are digital payment methods.

6. Banks Pre-Paid Cards

Prepaid debit cards, sometimes referred to as bank prepaid cards, are credit instruments that banks issue that give people an easy and adaptable way to manage their finances. Prepaid cards are independent of bank accounts, in contrast to conventional debit or credit cards that are connected to checking or credit accounts. Rather, they preload money onto the card, which they then use for a variety of payments up to the available balance.

7. Point Of Sale

A point of sale (PoS) is the place where sales are made. On a macro level, a PoS may be a mall, a market or a city. On a micro level, retailers consider a PoS to be the area where a customer completes a transaction, such as a checkout counter. It is also known as a point of purchase.

8. Internet Banking

Internet banking, also known as online banking, e-banking or virtual banking, is an electronic payment system/digital payment methods that enables customers of a bank or other financial institution to conduct a range of financial transactions through the financial institution’s website.

9. Mobile Banking

Mobile banking is a service provided by a bank or other financial institution that allows its customers to conduct different types of financial transactions remotely using a mobile device such as a mobile phone or tablet. It uses software, usually called an app, provided by the banks or financial institution for the purpose. Each Bank provides its own mobile banking App for Android, Windows and iOS mobile platform(s) which is one of the most popular digital payment methods now a days. 

10. Micro ATMs

Micro ATM meant to be a device that is used by a million Business Correspondents (BC) to deliver basic banking services. The platform will enable Business Correspondents (who could be a local kirana shop owner and will act as ‘micro ATM’) to conduct instant transactions.

The micro platform will enable function through low cost devices (micro ATMs) that will be connected to banks across the country. This would enable a person to instantly deposit or withdraw funds regardless of the bank associated with a particular BC. This device will be based on a mobile phone connection and would be made available at every BC. Customers would just have to get their identity authenticated and withdraw or put money into their bank accounts. This money will come from the cash drawer of the BC. Essentially, BCs will act as bank for the customers and all they need to do is verify the authenticity of customer using customers’ UID. The basic transaction types, to be supported by micro ATM, are Deposit, Withdrawal, Fund transfer and Balance inquiry.

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DigiLocker a Digital Locker service operated by the Government of India to store certain official documents on the cloud such as Digital Aadhaar, thus enables the citizen of India in reducing the need to carry physical documents and can be used anytime anywhere through the mobile devices. DigiLocker is part of the government’s Digital India initiative.

If you have already applied for the Aadhaar card then you can check Aadhaar card status online after the enrollment.

DigiLocker is a cloud-based platform for issuance, storage, sharing and verification of documents and certificates, according to GOI Digilocker Site. It helps in securing lot of documents online. Now, DigiLocker also allows citizens to access their digital Aadhaar card number. Digital Aadhaar in DigiLocker is the same as eAadhaar issued by UIDAI(Unique Identification Authority of India). UIDAI is as an issuer of digital Aadhaar in DigiLocker, said DigiLocker on it’s official website.

1 GB of storage space is offered to users to store identification card issued by government agencies, education certificates, PAN cards, driving license, vehicle ownership documents and some other documents.The service is aimed towards reducing the need to carry physical documents, and is part of the government’s Digital India initiative.

DigiLocker has partnered with UIDAI to make it available automatically to its users when they link their DigiLocker account with Aadhaar. The advantage of digital Aadhaar or eAadhaar is that it can now be used in the same way as any other DigiLocker document.

How to Access Digital Aadhaar From DigiLocker or eAadhaar in DigiLocker?

1. Signup to DigiLocker using your mobile number and email verification followed by creating user credentials, then login.
2. Upon login to DigiLocker, link your Aadhaar and then you will see a dialog box with a message to get your eAadhaar
3. Click on “Click here” link. OTP box will appear in the dialog
4. You will receive an OTP on your mobile number linked to Aadhaar. Enter this OTP in the OTP box and click “Verify OTP” button
5. On successful validation of the OTP you will be redirected to “Issued Document” page where URI for eAadhaar will be listed
6. Click on “Save” icon next to Aadhaar Card on “Issued Document” page
7. Your eAadhaar will be saved to “Uploaded Document” section.

DigiLocker Benefits

Since DigiLocker is a platform for issuance and verification of documents & certificates in a digital way, so the idea behind this to make paperless governance. The benefits are-

1. Citizens can access their digital documents anytime, anywhere and share it online in a convenient and time saving way.
2. It reduces the administrative overhead of Government departments by minimizing the use of paper.
3. Validation of authenticity of documents getting easier as they are issued directly by the registered issuers.
4. Self-uploaded documents can be digitally signed using the eSign facility (which is similar to the process of self-attestation).

There is also an associated facility for e-signing documents. The service is intended to minimize the use of physical documents, reduce administrative expenses, provide authenticity of the e-documents, provide secure access to government-issued documents and to make it easy for the residents to receive services.

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The Aadhaar card has established itself as one of the main documents for proving one’s identity. However, ensuring that your Aadhaar information is safe is crucial. This system will enable Residents to lock and temporarily unlock their bio-metrics. This is to protect privacy and confidentiality of Resident’s Bio-metrics Data.

When obtaining an Aadhaar card, individuals must provide their retinal and fingerprint scan data to the government. This bio-metric data can be utilized for verification when availing other services. For instance, if you furnish your Aadhaar as an ID proof for availing a sim card, the telecom company can access your data by using your fingerprint as doing so authenticates the ID quickly and speeds up KYC verification.

Locked Biometrics ensures the Aadhaar holder will not be able to use their Bio-metrics (fingerprints/iris) for authentications thus preventing potential misuse that is stored in UIDAI servers.

The data can be unlocked whenever required and used for verification before you lock it again. Following is a simple guide to locking or unlocking your bio-metric data online.

Steps to Lock Unlock Aadhaar Biometric Data Online

• 1. Visit the UIDAI website link here.
  2. Enter the 12-digit Aadhaar number that appears on your card.
  3. Enter the security code which pops up on the image under the Aadhaar number.
  4. Generate a One Time Password.
  5. The OTP will be sent through an SMS to the registered mobile phone number, and the OTP must be entered on the same page. (Registered Mobile Number is essential to avail this service. In case your mobile number is not registered with Aadhaar visit the nearest Enrolment Centre/Mobile Update End Point.)
  6. Verify the OTP.
  7. Click on ‘Enable Bio-metric Locking’.
  8. Click on ‘Enable’ once you have checked Enable Bio-metric Locking.
  9. In case you wish to disable the lock, just uncheck Enable Bio-metric Locking after which you can click ‘Disable’.
  10. Your Aadhaar UIDAI biometric information will then be locked or unlocked based on what you have checked.

Once your bio-metric data has been locked, you can authenticate Aadhaar based requests or transactions for information only through the One Time Password sent to the registered mobile number, bit with an iris or thumb scan. Please note that you can only lock or unlock your Aadhaar information online only.

You can also check Aadhaar card status online once your Aadhaar gets enrolled.

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If you want to check Aadhaar card status online once you have submitted the Aadhaar enrolment then you are at the right place where we’ve explained the process how to check Aadhaar card status online. Aadhaar card, a lifelong 12-digit unique identity number issued by the Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI), is the mandatory verification card for all Indian citizens. It is verifiable online anywhere anytime using the Aadhaar authentication platform. Aadhaar authentication responds only with “yes/no” answer.

It is also required to be linked with many essential services like the permanent account number (PAN), bank accounts, life insurance policies, mobile phone numbers, and social security schemes among others. After applying for the Aadhaar card, you can verify it online by following few simple steps as given below-

Check Aadhaar Card Status Online Via UIDAI’s website

1. Visit the official website of UIDAI, uidai[dot]gov[dot]in to check Aadhar status online
2. Click on ‘check Aadhaar status‘ under My Aadhaar >> Aadhaar enrolment.
3. Type the Enrolment ID, SRN or URN number and captcha code (EID (Enrolment ID), SRN or URN is used to check your Aadhaar Status. The EID is displayed on the top of your enrolment/update acknowledgement slip and contains 14 digit enrolment number (1234/12345/12345) and the 14 digit date and time (yyyy/mm/dd hh:mm:ss) of enrolment. These 28 digits together form your Enrolment ID (EID)).
4. Click on Submit button.
5. The status of your Aadhaar card will be on screen.

You can call 1947, the toll-free number provided by UIDAI, and check the status of your Aadhaar card.

However, if your Enrolment ID number is more than 90 days old and Aadhaar card has not been delivered, you must call 1947 or write to help@uidai[dot]gov[dot]in.

The current deadline for linking the 10-digit alphanumeric PAN, issued by the Income Tax Department, with Aadhaar is December 31.

With mobile SIMs, Aadhaar has to be linked by February 6 and with social security schemes and banks etc, December 31 is the last day for Aadhaar linking.

Currently where Aadhaar is used in?

• Food & Nutrition – Public Distribution System, Food Security, Mid Day Meals, Integrated Child Development Scheme.
• Employment – Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana, Indira Awaaz Yojana, Prime Minister’s Employment Guarantee Program
• Education – Sarva Shikhsha Abhiyaan, Right to Education
• Inclusion & Social Security – Janani Suraksha Yojana, Development of Primitive Tribe Groups, Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme
• Healthcare – Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, Janashri Bima Yojana, Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana
• Other miscellaneous purposes including Property Transactions, VoterID, PAN Card, Bank Accounts and PF/EPF etc.