Applying for SIM Card may require your fingerprints

Applying for SIM Card may require your fingerprints 

 

There is no stop on SIM cards on forged documents despite several measures taken by the department of telecommunication. Physical verification of the customer is one of them. But the matter doesn't solve as there are many cases in which forged documents are attached as ID proof and address proof.

 

This is the matter of security and Home ministry is also very concerned about this. 26/11 attack on Mumbai is the latest example where terrorist used Indian SIM cards on forged documents. 

 

Now the home ministry wants to set up a system in which along with documents one biometric feature such as fingerprints can be taken of the subscriber before issuing a SIM cards. Also another system needs to set up where these records can be kept and use when needed.

 

Physical verification of the subscriber couldn't make much as there is a big competition among mobile companies as well as retailers and they want to sell as much SIM cards as they can. Even police have complaint many times about miss to take the documents by the retailers despite strict rules and immediate action on this offence.

 

Sometimes there are cases where distributors sell SIM cards in bulk to terrorist or wrong people which are a big threat for the nation.

 

Selling Pre activation SIM attracts a penalty of Rs. 50000 as well as immediate disconnection of mobile service.

 

Home Ministry should take big steps like increasing the penalty as well as imprisonment provision on selling SIM cards on forged documents.

 

Aadhar card can play a big role as biometric features are already added on it. So one can verify the features with Aadhar card but Government as well as mobile service providers need to set up a big infrastructure for this because India is a big cellular market and there is always a demand of newSIM numbers in urban to rural to remote areas.