There have many case in the past that have been registered where the guilty was found with fake SIM cards that he probably purchased to conduct that crime. Keeping in mind all such points, the government now has taken a progressive step that will not only stop people from faking things up but also somewhere put a full stop on terrorism. The government taking a crucial step has announced that soon fingerprints would be mandatory in order to purchase a new SIM card.
Minister of State for Communications and IT Milind Deora said in the Lok Sabha, “The Department of Telecom (DoT) recently received a suggestion from the Ministry of Home Affairs indicating that the DoT maintains a central database of all subscribers with bio-metric parameters akin to the Aadhaar. This would entail taking fingerprint/thumb impression or any other unique bio-metric feature of the subscriber when he/she applies for a mobile connection,” he said adding that the suggestion “is presently being examined in the DoT and decision on the same is yet to be taken.”
As per the reports, the idea behind introducing the bio-metric parameters system is to keep a check on false SIM cards and also to control paper use and encourage electronic communication. Apart from this, this decision will also help companies to save revenue and cut the time in activating a SIM card.
Once implemented, telecom companies will take fingerprint/thumb impression or any other unique bio-metric feature of the subscriber when he/she applies for a SIM Card. The same will be then matched with the Aadhar data, available with the Department of Telecom (DoT), provided by him/her. If matched, the SIM will be made operational instantly.
The process is likely to be introduced in Tier 1 cities by September end.
