Civil society groups to urge parties not to make Aadhaar mandatory

The organisations intend to ask people on the ground who have been the victims of mandatory use of Aadhaar

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, civil society organisations working in varied fields have decided to approach political parties to amend the Aadhaar Act to prohibit its mandatory use and make it an electoral issue.

Over 300 members from the organisations, including Right to Education, Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, and NREGA Sangharsh Morcha among others, in a signed statement on Tuesday said that mandatory use of Aadhaar for availing social benefits as upheld by the Supreme Court has lead to extreme distress and even death in many cases.

"The total numbers of people negatively affected by the