# Centre notifies PM CARES scholarship rules for children without Aadhaar 2026-10-16T14:51:51+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment issued a notification on 14 October 2026, under S.O. 5628(E), detailing Aadhaar authentication requirements for beneficiaries of the PM CARES for Children scholarship scheme. The rules, framed under Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, cover identity verification for children receiving scholarship aid from Class 1 to Class 12. No child can be denied benefits solely because Aadhaar authentication fails or the child lacks an Aadhaar number. For children below 18 years who have no Aadhaar, the accepted documents include an Aadhaar enrolment acknowledgement, a birth certificate, an Indian passport, or a Class 10 or Class 12 certificate. Beneficiaries aged 18 or above without Aadhaar may submit a voter ID, ration card, passport, driving licence, or disability certificate. The department will designate an officer to verify documents through the myAadhaar portal and maintain auditable records for exceptions. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The new rules address a practical gap in the PM CARES for Children scholarship by codifying identity verification for children who lack Aadhaar. Beneficiaries and guardians now have a clear list of acceptable documents instead of facing ad hoc rejections. The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment must set up an officer-led verification process using the myAadhaar portal, and it must maintain auditable records for exceptions when Aadhaar authentication fails. This systems-level step, however, depends on how promptly the department publicises the requirements and trains its verifying officers. The risk remains that children in institutional care or remote areas may still struggle to produce the listed documentary proofs, leaving a gap between the notification’s intent and ground-level access. ## Coverage - livemint.com Leads with the government’s inclusive provision, not with any criticism or failure This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Aadhaar Act 2016, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, PM CARES for Children Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/centre-notifies-pm-cares-scholarship-rules-for-children-without-aadhaar/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/centre-notifies-pm-cares-scholarship-rules-for-children-without-aadhaar/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/