Aadhaar authentication based on Biometrics for GST Registration launched in Kerala

The Kerala State GST Department announced on Friday that biometric-based Aadhaar authentication and document verification have been introduced for Goods and Services Tax (GST) registration beginning October 8.

These measures are intended to combat tax fraud by preventing the unauthorized use of government-issued identification documents such as Aadhaar and PAN cards for tax fraud. Similar events have been reported across the country.

In Kerala, the GST Intelligence wing discovered cases where these documents were used to create fake GST registrations. The department also stated that Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat had shown a considerable decrease in such fraudulent operations after the implementation of biometric-based Aadhaar authentication.

The government stated that candidates for Aadhaar authentication are chosen from among taxpayers who have submitted applications through the common portal based on data analysis and risk considerations. In ‘high-risk’ circumstances, biometric Aadhaar authentication is performed. For the rest, OTP-based Aadhaar authentication is advised.

In June of this year, the GST Council suggested a phased manner of biometric-based Aadhaar authentication for GST registration.

The authentication must be completed within 15 days of submitting the GST REG-01 application through the common portal for registration.