No prescribed dress code for Aadhaar enrolment, govt clarifies
31 May 2013
In response to compalints in the media about residents being asked to adhere to a dress code when enrolling for Aadhaar, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has clarified that it has not prescribed any dress code for an Aadhaar number enrollment.
According to a media statement put out by the Planning commission, the only criterion is that the face of the resident should be clearly visible while being photographed.
"Residents are free to wear any kind of dress that they are comfortable with at the time of enrolment, provided it does not hide any part of the face (from forehead to chin)."
In fact, residents who wear a turban, or any such religious / traditional headgear are not required to remove them when being photographed as part of the Aadhaar enrolment process.
"Any deviation from standard enrolment practice, such as prescribing a dress code where there is none, is a violation of the terms of engagement by the enrolment agencies," the clarification added.
It also said UIDAI constantly reviews the functioning of enrolment agencies and levies strict penalties, when such deviations come to light.
Such instances can always be reported to the concerned Registrar or the Regional Offices of UIDAI.
