60 lakh Voda users in Kolkata, Bengal link SIM with Aadhaar

New Delhi: Vodafone on Monday said over 60 lakh customers in Kolkata and Bengal circles have linked their mobile numbers with Aadhaar, in line with government's order to telcos to initiate re-verification of existing subscribers.

India's second largest telecom operator said the facility of linking existing mobile number with the 12-digit unique identification number, Aadhaar, is available at all retail touch points, including Vodafone stores and 50,000 multi brand outlets across Kolkata and Bengal circles.

"The facility to link Aadhaar with existing number is available for all Vodafone customers in Bengal and Kolkata. More than 60 lakh customers in Kolkata and West Bengal circles have already utilised this service by linking their SIM to their Aadhaar account," the company said.

It may be recalled that in March this year, the telecom department had directed telecom operators to complete Aadhaar-based verification within a year.

"This service has been initiated by Vodafone in accordance with the government rules on mandatory re- verification of existing prepaid and post-paid customers using their Aadhaar identity number and biometric details," the release added.

E-KYC solution is seen as an instant, secure and green mobile subscriber verification process, wherein a customer's Aadhaar and fingerprints are suffice for validating and activating pre-paid and post-paid connections.