It is increasingly becoming necessary for Indians to have Aadhaar card, as it will not only be made mandatory to avail government schemes, but also several other activities as simple as booking train tickets online. The Indian Railways will soon make Aadhaar card mandatory for e-booking of train tickets.
The Indian Railways has already introduced a three-month trial for use of Aadhaar card for senior citizens to avail concessions in train tickets, and it will be made mandatory staring April 1.
[READ: Do you know the Indian government is sharing your Aadhaar card information with Reliance Industries]
According to the new business plan 2017-18 released by Union Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday, the Indian Railways will move to Aadhaar-based online train ticketing system to prevent touts from blocking tickets in bulk and stop impersonation. The ministry is also planning to develop an integrated ticketing app by May.
"Aadhaar number will be required for one-time registration at the IRCTC ticketing site. The step is aimed at eliminating touts from registering with fake identities," a senior Railways Ministry official told reported Press Trust of India (PTI), adding that the Railways is preparing a software for the purpose.
Indian Railways has also announced that it would install 6,000 point-of-sale machines and 1,000 ticket vending machines across the country to migrate towards cashless and paperless ticketing.
In its initiative to curb corruption, the central government has also been pressing the public to register for Aadhaar card through several ways. The government had recently announced that Aadhaar card will be made mandatory under Food Law to avail subsidised food grains from Public Distribution System (PDS) shops after June 30.
