The Aadhaar debate is into its final stages. While the Supreme Court is yet to make it mandatory, the government is flexing its muscles by linking various services to it and forcing citizens to fall in line.  The government’s latest salvo comes in the recently-passed Finance Bill -- Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)-backed Aadhaar cards will now be mandatory for filing income tax returns.  And if a person does not link his Permanent Account Number or PAN card with Aadhaar, his PAN will be rendered invalid after July 1, 2017.

This article apeared in Business Standard on 27th March, 2017.