The government today denied media reports that 50 crore mobile numbers are at the risk of disconnection. In a joint statement in New Delhi, the Department of Telecommunications and Unique Identification Authority of India, UIDAI, has said that the report is baseless.

The statement said an unnecessary panic has been created among mobile users. It also clarified that the Supreme Court in its judgement has NOT said that mobile numbers acquired through Aadhaar cards have to be disconnected.

The statement further said that the Telecom Department and UIDAI are developing a hassle-free digital process to issue new SIM cards through a mobile App which will be fully compliant with the Supreme Court’s judgement in Aadhaar Case.

In the proposed process, the live photograph of the person along with the time stamp and geographical coordinates will be captured.  SIM cards will be authenticated through a one – time password  OTP before being issued.