The Centre on Thursday extended the tenure of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairperson Ram Sevak Sharma by two years, PTI reported. Sharma’s stint as the regulatory body’s chief was scheduled to end on Wednesday. A government order said Sharma will serve as TRAI chairperson till September 2020.
The announcement follows the controversial public challenge he issued on Twitter late last month. Sharma shared his Aadhaar number and asked people to show how their knowledge of his unique identity number could be used to harm him. However, it led to severe backlash and several users claimed to have obtained Sharma’s personal details, such as his Permanent Account Number and mobile number.
Sharma defended his actions on Tuesday and said he did not want others to do the same. His challenge prompted the Unique Identification Authority of India to issue an advisory, warning people against sharing their Aadhaar number. The Aadhaar authority said such activities are in contravention of the law.
Before heading the telecom regulatory body, Sharma served as the director general and mission director of the Unique Identification Authority of India from 2009 to 2013.
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