Union Home Ministry advises states, UTs to make use Aadhaar for prison inmates, visitors

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday has directed all the State and Union Territories to make use of Aadhaar for identification of visitors to jails to ensure that facilities are being availed by authorized individuals.

In a written reply to Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Mos Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said,''Prisons is a State subject as per entry 4 of List II of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. The administration and management of prisons is primarily the responsibility of respective State Government.''

"However, the Ministry of Home Affairs has advised all States and Union Territories (UTs) to make use of Aadhaar for identification of visitors to ensure that facilities are being availed by authorized individuals," Ahir also told in the Lok Sabha.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has also advised all States and UTs that prison inmates should also be Aadhaar seeded so that various aspects of day to day prison administration like production before court, return to prison, transport, health facilities, interview, free legal aid, parole, temporary release mechanism, educational/vocational training, release from prison etc. can be regulated by use of Aadhaar.