New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) The Union Home Ministry will verify through Aadhaar authentication the antecedents of applicants who wish to enter the newly constructed central secretariat buildings by using smart cards and visitor passes.

In a notification, the Union Home Ministry said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, after consultation with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), had allowed the Secretariat Security Organisation, MHA, to perform authentication and the use of Aadhaar number during authentication for establishing the identity of the Aadhaar number holder.

The Aadhaar authentication will be performed on a voluntary basis, and the Secretariat Security Organisation, Ministry of Home Affairs, shall carry it out only for the purpose of identification of persons for the issuance of smart cards and visitors' passes, the notification said.

The Aadhaar authentication will be done on a voluntary basis, and the Secretariat Security Organisation shall inform the Aadhaar number holder of alternate and viable means of identification, namely 'PAN Card' or 'Voter ID Card' or 'Passport' or 'Departmental Identity Card', it said.

The Secretariat Security Organisation shall not deny any service to the Aadhaar number holder for refusing to, or being unable to, undergo Aadhaar authentication, it said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kartavya Bhavan-3, a building to house several key central ministries and departments, at Kartavya Path in Delhi on August 6.

Kartavya Bhavan-3 has been designed to foster efficiency, innovation, and collaboration by bringing together various ministries and departments currently scattered across Delhi.

It is a state-of-the-art office complex spanning an area of around 1.5 lakh square meters across two basements and seven levels (ground plus six floors). It will house offices of the Ministries/Departments of Home Affairs, External Affairs, Rural Development, MSME, DoPT, Petroleum & Natural Gas, and the Principal Scientific Adviser.

The new building will exemplify modern governance infrastructure featuring IT-ready and secure workspaces, ID card-based access controls, integrated electronic surveillance, and a centralised command system. PTI ACB ACB NSD NSD

Aadhaar authentication permitted for smart-card and pass issuance, voluntary with alternative ID options and no denial of service. The notification authorises Aadhaar authentication to establish identity for issuance of smart cards and visitor passes, with such authentication being explicitly voluntary; applicants must be informed of alternate identification means (PAN Card, Voter ID Card, Passport, or Departmental Identity Card), and no service shall be denied to those who refuse or cannot undergo Aadhaar authentication.