Aadhaar is now Mandatory for New Businesses

If you are an entrepreneur and have plans to start a business, you need to have an Aadhaar number. The government of India has issued a single page registration form called Udyog Aadhaar which requires new business owners to submit their Aadhaar number to register their new business. The ministry for Micro, Small and Medium enterprises issued the form on September 18th.

The new scheme was implemented after Prime Minister Modi called for a simple process to register a new business. According to Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), over 800 registrations from MSMEs had been received under the scheme. However, making Aadhaar number mandatory would bring its own set of challenges.

According to Supreme Court lawyer and cyberlaw expert, Pavan Duggal an Indian barred from registration due to not having an Aadhaar was tantamount to discrimination, and violation of chapter three of the Indian constitution, on people’s right to equality. He said that wanting an Aadhaar number should be an individual choice.