The Union Home Ministry on Friday announced that the Aadhaar number would be mandatory for registration of death from October 1, 2017, reported PTI. The Ministry of Home Affairs said that making Aadhaar compulsory for those applying for a death certificate would ensure the accuracy of the details provided by the relatives, dependents or acquaintances of the deceased, according to a Press Information Bureau release.

The release said that the move would prevent identity fraud and remove the need for producing multiple documents to prove the identity of the deceased.

However, if an applicant is unaware of the Aadhaar number or enrolment ID number of the deceased, they must provide a certificate that the deceased person does not possess an Aadhaar number to the best of their knowledge. The applicant’s Aadhaar number would also be collected along with those of the deceased’s spouse or parents, the release said. A false declaration by the applicant would be treated as an offence.

The PIB release said that the new rules would come into effect for residents of all states immediately, except for residents of Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Meghalaya, for which a date would be announced separately.

The government had earlier made Aadhaar mandatory for some welfare schemes. It had also said that Aadhaar must be linked with the Permanent Account Number, that it would be compulsory for filing Income Tax returns, and for any bank transaction over Rs 50,000.