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Arun Jaitley Says SC Order On Making Aadhaar Card Voluntary Is A Positive Step Forward

Arun Jaitley Says SC Order On Making Aadhaar Card Voluntary Is A Positive Step Forward
Arun Jaitley, India's finance minister, speaks during the Singapore Summit in Singapore, on Friday, Sept. 18, 2015. India is progressing on making it easier to do business in the country, Jaitley said today. Photographer: Nicky Loh/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Bloomberg via Getty Images
Arun Jaitley, India's finance minister, speaks during the Singapore Summit in Singapore, on Friday, Sept. 18, 2015. India is progressing on making it easier to do business in the country, Jaitley said today. Photographer: Nicky Loh/Bloomberg via Getty Images

NEW DELHI -- Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the Supreme Court order on Aadhaar is a positive step forward and will encourage voluntary use of the identification number.

The apex court had yesterday permitted citizens to voluntarily use Aadhaar card for availing benefits under schemes like MGNREGA, Prime Minister's JanDhan Yojana and all types of pension schemes and PF.

"Supreme Court order permitting voluntary use of Aadhaar is a positive step forward," Jaitley said in a tweet.

Supreme Court order permitting voluntary use of Aadhar is a positive step forward.

— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) October 16, 2015

Aadhaar, an unique identification number, is used by the government to transfer subsidy directly to the bank account of beneficiaries. The use of Aadhaar helps in checking pilferage.

The Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan too had welcomed the ruling on use of Aadhaar yesterday, saying that it will help in financial inclusion drive and provide easy access to loans.

"The Supreme Court ruling on Aadhaar card will be quite helpful, making us use it in banking services. It will make easier for financial inclusion," Rajan had said.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.