Consider the following statements:

1. Aadhaar metadata cannot be stored for more than three months.

2. State cannot enter into any contract with private corporations for sharing Aadhaar data.

3. Aadhaar is mandatory for obtaining insurance products.

4. Aadhaar is mandatory for getting benefits funded out of the Consolidated Fund of India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct option is 2 and 4 only.

Let us analyze each statement step-by-step to understand why this option is correct:

Statement 1 is incorrect: According to the Supreme Court judgment on the validity of Aadhaar, the metadata of Aadhaar transactions cannot be stored for more than six months. The regulation originally allowed storing it for a longer duration, but the Court restricted it to six months (not three months).

Statement 2 is correct: The Supreme Court struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016. Consequently, no state or private body can enter into a contract with private corporations to share or authenticate Aadhaar data for their services.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Aadhaar is not mandatory for buying insurance products, opening bank accounts, or getting mobile connections, as ruled by the Supreme Court. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) clarified that Aadhaar is not compulsory for purchasing insurance policy documents.

Statement 4 is correct: According to Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, Aadhaar authentication is mandatory for receiving any subsidy, benefit, or service for which the expenditure is incurred from or funded out of the Consolidated Fund of India.

Therefore, only statements 2 and 4 are correct.