Aadhaar mandatory for PPF, NSC, Kisan Vikas Patra

Existing subscribers have time till December 31, 2017 to link their Aadhaar

An Aadhaar biometric identity card, issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), is arranged for a photograph in Mumbai, India, on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017. India's Finance Ministry will recommend bold tax reform to ensure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's growth-crimping cash ban wasn't in vain, people familiar with the matter said. Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

The Union government has made linking Aadhaar mandatory for the Public Provident Fund (PPF), the National Savings Certificates (NSC) and the Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP).

In a series of four notifications, the government said the existing subscribers have time till December 31, 2017 to link their Aadhaar.

"Provided further that every depositor under this scheme who has not given his Aadhaar number at the time of application for such deposit shall submit his Aadhaar number to the Post Office Savings Bank or Accounts Office concerned, on or before the 31st day of December, 2017," the notifications said.

"Provided that where Aadhaar number has not been assigned, the depositor shall submit proof of application of enrolment for Aadhaar," the notifications added.

The government had made it mandatory to link Aadhaar to PAN by December 31 and to SIM connections by February 2018.

About 135 schemes, including the free cooking gas (LPG) to poor women, kerosene and fertilizer subsidy, targeted public distribution system (PDS) and MGNREGA are also reportedly to be linked to the biometric identification.