Aadhar card must for Central Government Scholarship schemes announces HRD Ministry

Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has announced that College and University students must have an Aadhar card or should have undergone Aadhar authentication in order to avail Central Sector Scholarship Scheme. According to a notice by the ministry, Students who are already receiving these scholarships and do not have an Aadhar card must apply for the same by June 30, 2017. The rule is, however, not applicable for students in Jammu and Kashmir. The rule comes on the heels of similar regulation in which Aadhar card was made mandatory for candidates applying to NEET 2017 exam.
According to report, officials from the ministry said that the move has been introduced to allow the ministry to distribute scholarship benefits to the beneficiaries in a transparent and smooth manner. Making Aadhar mandatory removes the compulsion to submit multiple documents. The official said that until the students do not get Aadhar card, they can apply for scholarship with their Aadhar Enrolment ID slip, Aadhar enrolment application, Voter identity card, PAN card etc.
The ministry has made similar provisions for school students who are due to apply for Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme. The ministry plans to implement these rules in all Indian states except Jammu and Kashmir immediately from the day of the publication of the notice.
The ministry also issued another notice which said that school students who wished to avail National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme should also apply for Aadhar by June 30. Students in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, and Meghalaya will not need Aadhar card though.
Recently Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) also made Aadhar compulsory for candidates applying to its vacant posts.