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Aadhaar Payments Bridge (APB)

System

Standard Operating Procedure

Abstract

Standard Operating Procedures to be followed for linking the Aadhaar number bank account and

seeding in NPCI mapper for DBT and DBTL transaction processing on NACH platform using

Aadhaar Payments Bridge System.

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Revision Trail

Date

Revision Description

Version

Author

Reviewed by

Approved by

18/02/2015

First Version

1.0

Sakthi

Krishnan

R Vijayakumar Giridhar G M

09/05/2018

Updated Version

2.0

Sakthi

Krishnan

Sanjoy

Kumar

Mukherjee

Giridhar G M

22/07/2020

Updated Version

3.0

Prabhu R

Sanjoy

Kumar

Mukherjee

Giridhar G M

14/08/2020

Updated Version

3.0.1

Prabhu R

Sanjoy

Kumar

Mukherjee

Giridhar G M

4

Table of Contents

1. Background ........................................................................................................ 5

2. Written consent of the customer: .............................................................................. 8

3. Facility to check the Aadhaar seeding status ................................................................. 8

4. De-seeding ......................................................................................................... 9

5. Overdraft flag ................................................................................................... 10

6. Reconciliation between Aadhaar numbers in CBS with NPCI Mapper.................................... 11

7. Mapper Design ................................................................................................... 12

8. Moved out data ................................................................................................. 12

9. Reseeding ........................................................................................................ 12

10.

Processing the transactions as a sponsor bank ........................................................... 12

11.

Processing the transactions as a destination bank ...................................................... 14

12.

Return analysis and corrective action..................................................................... 16

13.

Grievance Management System (GMS) .................................................................... 18

Annexure I – Format for updating Aadhaar number with bank ................................................ 19

Annexure II – Aadhaar Consent Form .............................................................................. 21

Annexure III – Mapper file format .................................................................................. 22

Annexure IV – Mapper Reject Codes ............................................................................... 25

Annexure V – Root Cause of Issues and Solutions ................................................................ 26

Annexure VI – APB File format Input .............................................................................. 27

Annexure-VII Aadhaar look up – reason code and description ................................................. 31

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1. Background

Aadhaar Payments Bridge System facilitates end-to-end processing of bulk electronic

payment instructions primarily facilitating the government departments to disburse the

Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) using Aadhaar number as the financial address of the

beneficiaries. The subsidy/benefit can be disbursed to the account of the beneficiary

based on the mapping of Aadhaar number to the Institution Identification Number (IIN)

of the beneficiary’s bank. The participating banks have to perform a number of activities

to complete the mapping and un-mapping of Aadhaar number in NPCI mapper database.

This document defines the standard operating procedure to be followed by the member

banks for the following activities:

a. Joining the APB system as a participant

b. Seeding the Aadhaar number

c. De-seeding the Aadhaar number

d. Marking/unmarking OD flag

e. Reconciliation between Aadhaar numbers registered with the bank and NPCI mapper

f. Processing the transactions as a sponsor bank

g. Processing the transactions as a destination bank

Seeding of Aadhaar numbers: Seeding means updating the Aadhaar number in NPCI mapper. Seeding of

Aadhaar numbers involves two steps:

a) Verification of Aadhaar number and linking the same to the customer’s account in core

banking system of the bank.

b) Seeding the Aadhaar number in NPCI mapper.

Banks should take utmost care in linking the Aadhaar number to an account and seeding

in NPCI mapper. Once the Aadhaar number is seeded the account will become eligible to

receive Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) credits from the government. Incorrect mapping

will lead to wrong credits, the bank will be liable to make good such wrong credits to

the originating department/s.

The following steps should be followed by the bank for seeding an Aadhaar number:

a. Define a clear process, listing the documents to be submitted by the customer

for verification and seeding of Aadhaar number.

b. Bank should obtain written consent of the customer as per the format provided

in Annexure II. Any other document as may be required by the banks depending

on their internal policy may also be obtained.

c. Under no circumstance the Aadhaar seeding should be done without an

informed consent of the customer.

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d. If the documentary proof submitted is not in line with the internal policy of the

bank, then such request for Aadhaar seeding should be rejected with advice to

the customer with the deficiencies for necessary action.

e. Banks should verify the Aadhaar credentials of customer by following the extant

guidelines prescribed by UIDAI/RBI on the same and updated from time to time.

The responsibility of verification and linking of Aadhaar number to an account

number and seeding in NPCI mapper without any error solely lies with the

bank”.

f. On being satisfied with the documentary proof the bank should first issue an

acknowledgement for the seeding request and then proceed to link the Aadhaar

number to the customer’s account in their core banking system (CBS).

g. After linking is completed the bank should proceed for seeding the Aadhaar

number in NPCI mapper.

h. As a first step of seeding, verification should be done whether the account is

eligible to receive the credits pertaining to the direct benefit transfers. If the

account is not eligible to receive the DBT related credit then the seeding

request should be returned to the customer with appropriate reason. Few

examples

i. NRE account

ii. Loan account

iii. PPF account

iv. Blocked/frozen account

v. Inoperative account

The list is only indicative. Any account that is not eligible to receive credits

should not be seeded with NPCI. Such seeding request should be rejected, with

the reason for such rejection.

i. Bank should have distinct fields in their CBS for updating the Aadhaar number

submitted for KYC purpose and Aadhaar for seeding purpose.

j. Based on the purpose for which Aadhaar number is submitted by the customer,

the bank official should update the number in the relevant field in core banking

system.

k. Under no circumstances the Aadhaar number submitted as a part of KYC be

seeded in NPCI mapper. The seeding should only be subject to explicit written

consent from customer for receiving the Direct Benefit Transfer related

credits.

l. Banks should implement the verhoeff algorithm for checking the correctness of

the Aadhaar numbers.

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m. Member banks should implement Aadhaar seeding API for real time seeding

(Refer circular no. 009 on “API services” dated July 10, 2019). This will enable

the bank to submit the Aadhaar seeding request online and get the

confirmation online so that the front office officials can provide the

confirmation to the customer immediately.

n. The downloaded data should be as per the format specified by NPCI for mapper

upload (Annexure III). After the seeding file is uploaded, the NPCI mapper will

provide a response file indicating whether all the records are updated in the

mapper or some records are rejected.

o. Banks should have monitoring mechanism to verify the response files received

from Aadhaar mapper and take corrective action at their end.

p. Bank should have automated process with a minimum of one time download of

all Aadhaar numbers submitted for seeding purpose to be uploaded into NPCI

mapper. It is recommended that banks should have process for multiple

download and upload into NPCI mapper.

q. The list of reasons for rejection in Aadhaar mapper is provided in Annexure IV.

r. There should be a provision in CBS for updating the status of seeding in NPCI

mapper. If the Aadhaar number is rejected by the mapper during the seeding

process, the reason for the reject should be updated in CBS.

s. Bank should send a communication to the customer, either through a mail or

SMS, on seeding of Aadhaar number with seeding date in case of successful

seeding. In case of unsuccessful seeding the communication should be sent

along with the reason for rejection. SMS only should be sent wherever customer

has registered his mobile number.

t. The front desk officer/staff should be trained well, to understand that,

updating the Aadhaar number in CBS does not mean completion of mapping.

Banks should have standard operating procedure to facilitate smooth seeding

of Aadhaar numbers. The staff should be given training on all the mapper

related matters. The officers/staff should be given a provision to check for

seeding status to enable them to answer the customer queries. Banks may use

the API services provided by NPCI for checking the Aadhaar seeding status

of an Aadhaar number. The officers/staff should be able to communicate to

the customer, the reason for rejection as well.

Note

a) If two different banks seed the same Aadhaar number to the account of the

customer in their respective banks and NPCI, the bank seeding with the latest

mandate date will be mapped in the NPCI mapper and all the subsidies will be

routed to that bank only.

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b) In case of joint account the bank should have a provision to link the Aadhaar

number to respective the customer ID of each of the joint account holders.

In case of seeding a joint account the bank should inform the applicant, of such

seeding, that the benefits received in the account will be available to all the

account holders based on the operating instructions of the joint account

concerned.

2. Written consent of the customer:

It is mandatory for the banks to obtain the consent of the customer either

through physical form or electronic mode before updating in NPCI mapper. Banks

are advised to preserve the consent form received from the customer either in

physical or electronic form. In the event of any customer query or complaint,

bank must produce the documentary proof of consent given by the customer for

Aadhaar seeding.

Banks should obtain the consent form from customer as per the format given in

Annexure II.

As per new mapper format bank should include previous bank name in the

consent form to link customer Aadhaar number to that bank. For fresh insert

/inactive Aadhaar number, Bank is allowed to link the Aadhaar number where

consent has been given by the customer.

For E.g. if customer has account in bank A and B currently, customer’s Aadhaar

is linked to bank A and now it needs to be changed and linked to Bank B then

bank B has to get consent form with the previous bank name in order to link

customer Aadhaar to account number.

To get the banks IIN details, kindly visit www.npci.org.in--> What we

do→NACH→Live bank list.

3. Facility to check the Aadhaar seeding status

Banks should make necessary arrangements to enable the staff as well as the

customer to check the Aadhaar mapping status. Either one or all the methods given

below can be used to facilitate this

i) The Aadhaar mapper status should be updated in CBS and the staff should

be able to view the status.

ii) The facility may be extended to the customer through internet banking or

ATM network or any other alternate channels.

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iii) The API facility provided by NPCI should be implemented to provide

online status to the staff.

iv) Banks staff having access to NACH system can view the mapping status

using MIS tab.

v) Aadhaar seeding status enquiry must be made available to the

customers through AEPS (Refer circular no 12 dated February 22,

2019).

vi) Aadhaar look up facility can be availed from NPCI to ascertain mapping

status of a batch of Aadhaar numbers (Reason code and description of

mapping status is provided in Annexure VII).

4. De-seeding

In the event of an account, where Aadhaar number is seeded in NPCI for receiving the

benefits becoming ineligible to receive the credits, the bank should take immediate steps

to de-seed such an Aadhaar numbers from NPCI mapper. The following are the events that

should trigger deseeding

1. Account closed

2. Account holder expired

3. Customer insolvent/ Account holder became insane

4. Account Under Litigation

5. Account blocked or frozen

Customer consent is not required for de-seeding Aadhaar numbers in the above cases.

a) Banks should deseed the Aadhaar number once the account becomes ineligible for

receiving the credit.

b) In case of an account being frozen or blocked temporarily, the Aadhaar number

mapped to the account should be deseeded with a facility to reseed the account in the

event of its activation. This process should be automated and there should not be any

manual intervention.

c) The bank should have standard operating procedure for deseeding the Aadhaar

number on the basis of customer request.

d) Once the deseeding process is executed in core banking, batch processing should be

initiated at periodic time intervals to download the deseeding files in the format

specified by NPCI

e) Deseeding should be an automated process and carried out at frequent intervals on

each day with a minimum of one time at EOD of core banking.

f) There should be a process to monitor the response files received from the mapper to

ensure deseeding is completed. If there is any rejection the bank should verify the

reason for rejection and take corrective action immediately.

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g) The final status of deseeding should be updated in core banking system so that the

front desk officer/staff will be able to see the seeding/deseeding status and

communicate to the customer.

h) Deseeding communication should be sent to the customer. If the customer has

registered his mobile number, then a SMS may be sent to this effect.

Note:

a. Deseeding should be an automated process and carried out at frequent

intervals on each day with a minimum of one time at EOD of core banking.

b. Banks should deseed the Aadhaar number once the account becomes

ineligible for receiving the credit.

c. In case of an account being frozen or blocked temporarily, the Aadhaar number

mapped to the account should be deseeded with a facility to reseed the account

in the event of its activation.

5. Overdraft flag

Under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana, banks can allow overdraft facility as may be

decided by the government from time to time. In the event of sanctioning such facility to

their customers, the banks should ensure that the OD flag is updated in the Aadhaar

mapper. The below process should be strictly followed while sanctioning OD.

a. When the customer approaches the bank for OD, the staff should first check

the Aadhaar mapping.

b. OD can be granted only if the Aadhaar number is mapped to that bank

account and benefits are transferred to the same account held with that

bank.

c. In case the Aadhaar number is already linked to a different bank and OD flag

is ‘Y’ that indicates that another bank has already granted OD to that

customer, the request need to be rejected and informed to the customer.

d. If the Aadhaar is not mapped with the bank, then the customer should be

intimated about the same. If the customer prefers to have OD with the current

bank, then the bank should first obtain the Aadhaar mapping consent (mandate)

from the customer in the prescribed format.

e. Bank should follow the process detailed in “Aadhaar seeding process’ section

of this document.

f. After confirming the completion of Aadhaar mapping the bank may proceed to

grant OD as per the laid down process and eligibility of the customer.

g. OD flag will act as an indicator to all the banks for verification and

avoiding duplication of OD facility to the same customer.

h. The bank should not allow utilization of funds in the OD account until the OD

flag updation in NPCI mapper is confirmed.

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i. After the repayment of OD by the customer, the bank should ensure that the

OD flag in NPCI mapper is removed.

j. A confirmation to this effect should be given by the bank to the customer. If

the customer has registered his/her mobile number, then SMS should be sent

to the customer.

6. Reconciliation between Aadhaar numbers in CBS with NPCI Mapper

a. While daily seeding and deseeding of Aadhaar numbers will ensure that the

Aadhaar database in CBS of the bank is in sync with NPCI mapper, it is essential

for the banks to do periodic reconciliation between these two databases to

ensure everything is in order.

b. The bank should obtain mapper data from NPCI on a periodic basis. It is

recommended that the reconciliation is done on monthly basis.

c. The Aadhaar numbers in NPCI mapper should be compared with the Aadhaar

numbers in CBS.

d. If some Aadhaar numbers are present only in NPCI mapper and not in core

banking, then bank should investigate to find out the root cause. Given that

banks are expected to link first in CBS and after that seed the same in NPCI

mapper and Mapper updation is expected to be an automated process, this

scenario should not arise.

(Note: Practically many banks return the transactions with the reason ‘Aadhaar

number not mapped to account number’. This effectively means either the

bank has updated the mapper with Aadhaar number without linking it to the

account in their core banking or there is an issue in core banking resulting in

system not being able to map the Aadhaar number back to account number

based on linking at the time of transaction processing).

e. The bank should identify the issue and take immediate and permanent

corrective action. This problem should not recur.

f. If some Aadhaar numbers are available in CBS, but not in NPCI mapper, it means

that these Aadhaar numbers are not seeded in NPCI mapper or these Aadhaar

numbers were rejected during the mapper upload process that was not properly

monitored and corrected at that point in time. The bank should verify their

core banking and follow the seeding process to seed these Aadhaar numbers

again and reconcile with the response files to ensure seeding is completed.

g. Further to the above reconciliation, banks should have a standard process to

download all Aadhaar numbers that are seeded for the accounts that are

closed, blocked or frozen, customer deceased or become insane and deseed

these Aadhaar numbers once a month so that any residual Aadhaar number that

were not de-seeded due to any technical glitch will be de-seeded.

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7. Mapper Design

As per the mapper design, if more than one bank uploads the Aadhaar number

in NPCI mapper, the mapper will hold good only the last record updated. For

example, Aadhaar number is updated by bank ‘A’ in NPCI mapper on May 05,

2017 and bank ‘B’ is updating the same Aadhaar on June 15, 2017, then the

latest mapping only will be considered and all the transactions will be routed

to bank ‘B’ only.

8. Moved out data

a. When a bank receives a request from the customer for seeding, they may not

be able to identify if the customer has an account with some other bank and

seeding has been given to the other bank as well.

b. If a bank tries to map an Aadhaar number in NPCI mapper and if such Aadhaar

number, if already mapped to another bank, subject to the new bank

confirming that they have got customer mandate and also provide the previous

bank IIN in mapper upload file, the system will either move the Aadhaar

mapping to the new bank or reject such request for updation in absence of

previous bank IIN.

9. Reseeding

a. If a customer whose Aadhaar number is deseeded from NPCI mapper approaches

the same bank again for seeding his Aadhaar number, the bank should have

provision for such reseeding.

b. The front desk staff/official should be trained to handle reseeding.

Note: Normally the front desk officials verify their CBS and if the Aadhaar

number is linked to the account of the customer they confirm that the

Aadhaar is already seeded, this is not correct.

c. When a request for reseeding is received, the bank should make a provision in

the CBS to enable the staff to trigger re-seeding process, even if the Aadhaar

number is already available in the CBS.

d. The process will ensure that the Aadhaar numbers will be downloaded as a

part of the data files that are sent to NPCI mapper at periodic intervals for

seeding.

e. The process detailed in the section ‘seeding’ should be scrupulously followed

for reseeding as well.

f. There should be a field to indicate the first seeding and subsequent reseeding

dates.

10. Processing the transactions as a sponsor bank

a. Banks should prepare or get the files in the format and size prescribed by NPCI

from time to time. File format given in Annexure VI

b. Sponsor bank should ensure that the transactions are uploaded with proper

scheme code and state code.

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c. If proper user code is not available, sponsor banks should approach NPCI to get

the corporate created before the files are uploaded to NACH.

d. The bank will be liable for using incorrect user codes resulting in wrong claims

lodged by NPCI to the Implementing Agencies. In the event of any wrong

payment of DBT charges and incentive due to usage of incorrect user code the

Sponsor bank will be liable to make good such losses. NPCI reserves the right

to reverse any incorrect credit of DBT incentive and charges (irrespective of

the bank making remittance of Service Tax/GST and TDS) upon receipt of

instruction from the originating department.

e. Government departments or the sponsor banks should use the Aadhaar look-up

facility to check the seeding status of the Aadhaar number to avoid rejections

at the time of or before transaction file upload

f. It is the responsibility of the sponsor bank to ensure that the data received

from the department is not tampered with and only correct transaction amount

is uploaded into NACH system.

g. The bank should first check whether the funds are available or necessary

arrangement with the department is in place for processing the files.

h. Only if funds or the arrangement is available bank should upload the files into

NACH system. It is recommended that the bank implement host to host (H2H)

functionality to automate the process.

i. Upload the Aadhaar based transaction file without the IIN number of the

destination bank. NACH system has the capability to update the IIN number

from the mapper database.

Note: - in case of wrong IIN being given in the input file, the transaction will

get rejected.

j. Sponsor bank should have maker/checker concept and provide resources

accordingly.

k. After the file is authorized by the checker, APB system after processing the file

will provide an acknowledgement. This could be positive or negative.

l. The status of the file uploaded should be checked.

m. There should be monitoring mechanism at the bank to ensure verification of

the status of all the files uploaded and downloaded.

n. The system will show the file status as “Accepted” if processed successfully

otherwise it will show the file status as “Rejected or Partial”.

o. The file may be rejected fully or partially. Banks should analyze the rejects and

take corrective action as may be required.

p. After the presentation session is completed the sponsor bank should reconcile

the amount of the presentation files with the settlement received in the

account maintained with RBI.

q. In case of any discrepancy in settlement report the bank should first check

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whether any rejected files are left out without remediation and re-upload. If

further clarification is required the bank officials should get in touch with NPCI

for necessary details. This process has to be followed for all the presentation

and return sessions.

No session should be left unreconciled with the settlement.

r. After the return session is completed APB system will provide response files to

the sponsor bank with status of the transactions at record level. The following

are the possible types of status

i. Successful (flag 1)

ii. Returned (flag 0)

iii. Extended (flag 3)

iv. Rejected (flag 2)

v. Deemed Accepted (flag 7)

s. Sponsor bank should have the capability to consume the response files and

provide a final response file to the department who has originated the

transactions.

t. In case of returned transactions the consolidated amount should be credited

back to the account maintained by the department with the bank as per the

agreed process and timeline with the department concerned.

u. There should be a process to provide a detailed return report in the format

required by the department concerned.

v. In case of extended transaction, sponsor bank should provide interim status to

the government department and provide the final response files after the same

is received on the next working day.

w. Banks should develop capability to handle multiple extensions and to consume

record level status.

x. Destination bank at the time of submitting the response files provide the

account number and name of the beneficiary for each of the transactions. This

should be an automated process.

y. Sponsor bank should share this information with the Government departments.

AA. It is mandatory for the destination bank to provide beneficiary name and

account number, if the specified data is not provided NACH system will reject

such transactions resulting in deemed acceptance. Banks should ensure that no

transactions will become deemed accepted.

11. Processing the transactions as a destination bank

a. Destination banks should seed the Aadhaar number only if the bank has been

certified by NPCI for participation in APB process.

b. The destination bank should put in place, automated process for processing

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c. the inward files received through the APB system. The system

should be sufficiently scaled up to handle peak volume with a

head room for 40% increase in volume.

d. The processing capacity to be reviewed on a periodic basis and measures

should be taken to increase the capacity well in advance.

e. On receipt of the inward file, as a first step the bank should verify the amount

of inward files against the settlement received.

f. If there is any discrepancy in the settlement amount, the same should be

immediately brought to the notice of NPCI helpdesk. The inward processing

should be taken up only after the discrepancy is resolved.

g. If the settlement amount tallies with the inward amount, then the bank should

proceed to process the inward files. There should be control points that will

allow file processing only after settlement reconciliation is confirmed. Under

no circumstances banks should release the credits to the customers

without receiving the settlement amount.

h. The bank should make provision in the system to provide the name and the

account number against each successful Aadhaar based transaction. This data

should be sent as a part of response file.

i. The destination bank should ensure that all the transactions are processed

well in time and response files are submitted before the cut-off time specified

by NPCI. This activity should be completed well in advance with a buffer to

cater to any eventuality during the processing. Bank should have BCP in place

in case of disturbance in one unit of a processing center. Adequate resource

should be in place to process transactions on a local holiday.

j. Banks should have monitoring mechanism to ensure all the files are uploaded

and processed in NACH. The acknowledgement files should be consumed by

the destination bank to ensure that all the response files are uploaded.

k. Bank should complete the processing of transactions on the same day of

receipt. In case of delay in providing return response / credit to customer

beyond T+1 working days a penalty by Rs. 100/- will be applicable for per

transaction for each day of delay.

1) In-case of success transaction, the bank must credit the customer account

along with the penalty whereas

2) In case of return transaction the penalty will be debited by NPCI from

destination bank and credited to sponsor bank for onward credit to the

department.

3) Refer to RBI circular no. RBI/2019-20/67 DPSS.CO.PD No.629/ 02.01.014/

2019-20 dated September 20, 2019 and NPCI circular no. NPCI/NACH/2019-

20/014 dated October 17, 2019 on harmonization of TAT.

l. In case any response file is rejected, the bank should check the reject reasons

and ensure corrective action and re-upload the files within the session time.

m. After the return session is closed the bank should tally the amount of returned

transactions with the settlement amount.

n. In case of any discrepancy in settlement report, the bank should first check

whether any rejected files are left out without remediation and re-upload. If

further clarification is required, the bank officials should get in touch with

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NPCI for necessary details. This process has to be followed for all the

presentation and return sessions. No session should be left unreconciled with

the settlement.

12. Return analysis and corrective action

Aadhaar based payments are routed to a bank only on the basis of Aadhaar numbers

mapped by the bank in NPCI mapper. As seeding, de-seeding and re-seeding can be

controlled by the banks through automated process there should not be any returns

in Aadhaar based payments. Banks should have strong workflow controls to ensure

nil returns. Additionally banks should take the following measures

a) Member banks should put a review mechanism in place to analyze the returns on

regular basis.

b) Return reason wise analysis should be carried out, the root cause for such returns

should be analyzed and steps should be taken to fix the issue permanently.

c) The following is the list of returns with codes and description:

APB (Aadhaar Payment Bridge)

Sr. No Codes

APB CR Return reason descriptions

1

01

Account Closed

2

10

Unclaimed/DEAF accounts

3

51

KYC Documents Pending

4

52

Documents Pending for Account Holder turning Major

5

53

Account Inoperative

6

54

Account dormant

7

55

A/c in Zero Balance/No Transactions have Happened, First Transaction in

Cash or Self Cheque

8

56

Small Account, First Transaction to be from Base Branch

9

57

Amount Exceeds limit set on Account by Bank for Credit per Transaction

10

58

Account reached maximum Credit limit set on account by Bank

11

60

Account Holder Expired

12

62

Account Under Litigation

13

64

Aadhaar Number not Mapped to Account Number

14

68

A/c Blocked or Frozen

15

69

Customer Insolvent / Insane

16

70

Customer to refer to the branch

17

71

Invalid Account type (NRE/PPF/CC/Loan/FD)

d) List of few initial rejects which could be avoided with Aadhaar lookup

Sl.

No.

Reason

code

Reason description

1

76 Invalid Aadhaar Format

2

95

Aadhaar number de-seeding from NPCI mapper by bank - customer to

contact his/her bank

3

96 Aadhaar mapping does not exist/Aadhaar number not mapped to IIN

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e) The following returns can be avoided with due care.

S .No Return Reason

Actionable

1 Account Closed

Bank should have an automated process

to deseed such Aadhaar number from

NPCI Mapper after account is closed

2

Aadhaar Number not mapped to

Account number

Banks are seeding NPCI Mapper without

linking the Aadhaar in CBS or have wrong

return reason mapping in CBS. Banks

should reconcile the Aadhaar dump as per

CBS and Aadhaar mapper dump and

seed/deseed the Aadhaar Number

Bank should analyse other reasons as well

to ensure that the transactions are not

returned for this reason.

3

Invalid Account

(NRE/PPF/CC/Loan/FD)

Aadhaar number should not be seeded

with this type of Account

4

Account Holder Expired

Bank should have an automated process

to deseed such Aadhaar numbers from

Mapper

Returns with certain reasons:

Banks are advised to review their internal policy while returning transactions with

following reasons in view of the RBI guidelines/clarifications stated hereunder

Code Descriptions

RBI circular

Guidelines

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Documents

pending for

Account Holder

turning major

RBI/2014 -

15/226.RPCD.RRB.RCB.BC.No

.32/03.05.33/2014-15 dated

September 10,2014

Banks are advised to ensure that accounts of

all student beneficiaries under the various

central, state government scholarship

schemes are free from restrictions of

minimum balance and total credit limit have

separate product code in CBS to accounts

open by the beneficiaries under the various

central & /State government schemes

Including scholarship schemes for students so

that the stipulation of inoperative/dormant

account due to non-operation does not apply.

53

Account

Inoperative

RBI/2013 -

14/262.DBOD.No.Leg.BC.53/

09.07.005/2013-14 dated Sep

17,2013

Appropriate steps to be taken including

allotment of a different ' product code' in

their CBS to all such account so that

stipulation of inoperative accounts/dormant

account due to non-operation for over a

period of 2 years DBT, EBT, Scholarships, Zero

balance account etc. under central and state

Government benefit scheme. In order to

reduce risk of fraud etc., in such accounts

while allowing operations in these accounts,

due diligence should be exercised by ensuring

the genuineness of transaction verification of

signature, identity etc. New return code 10

54

Dormant account

18

Code Descriptions

RBI circular

Guidelines

introduced to handle Unclaimed/DEAF

account

57

Amount Exceeds

limit set on

Account by Bank

for Credit per

Transaction

RBI/2014 -

15/226.RPCD.RRB.RCB.BC.No.32

/03.05.33/2014-15 dated

September 10,2014

1. As per Amendment to Prevention of Money

Laundering (maintenance of records) Rules,

2005 relating to small accounts, Notification

no. G.S.R 1038 dated 21.8.2017 issued by the

Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance,

the limit on balances shall not be considered

while making deposit through government

grants, welfare benefits and payment against

procurements Letter No.F.NO1/21/2014-FI(C-

69551) dated 1.6.2018 issued by this

department in this regard.

2. All KYC updated PMJDY accounts are to be

converted to regular BSBD accounts, instead

of treating them as "small accounts" .In this

regard earlier communication of this

department vide

58

Account reached

maximum Credit

limit set on

account by Bank

Some of the frequently faced issues in mapper file upload and transaction file

upload, their root causes and the solutions are given in Annexure V

13. Grievance Management System (GMS)

GMS system is a part of the DMS module of NACH. GMS is used to raise any non- financial

queries between banks and OMCs. As such the system has been extended only to DBTL

transactions. But, the system is capable of handling the same for other transactions as

well. All the banks which are live in DMS, will be live on GMS as well.

GMS helps the banks and OMCs to handle the non-financial queries/grievances of their

customers, which are raised to them. GMS is an in-built system in NACH application,

which can be used by the member banks of ACH, OMCs and any other designated entity

(ex: UIDAI). Grievances can be raised by bank to any other bank, bank to OMC, OMC to

bank, and bank to UIDAI etc.

2

0

Annexure I – Format for updating Aadhaar number with bank

21

Annexure II – Aadhaar Consent Form

The Branch Manager

Bank …………………

Branch……………………….

………………………………..

…………………………………..

Date:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Bank Account No ..................................................... in my name Linking of Aadhaar / UID

Number with the account

I am maintaining a Bank Account number ......................... with your Branch (Branch

name… ...................... ). I submit my Aadhaar number and voluntarily give my

consent to;

o Seed my Aadhaar/UID number issued by the UIDAI, Government of India in my name with

my aforesaid account.

o Map it at NPCI to enable me to receive Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) from Government of

India in my above account. I understand that if more than one Benefit transfer is due to

me

, I will receive all Benefit Transfers in this account

o Use my Aadhaar details to authenticate me from UIDAI

o Use my mobile number mentioned below for sending SMS alerts to me

The particulars of the Aadhaar/ UID letter are as under:

Aadhaar/ UID number: ………………………………………………..

Name of the Aadhaar Holder as in Aadhaar card: ………………………………………

I have been given to understand that my information submitted to the bank herewith shall

not be used for any purpose other than mentioned above, or as per requirements of law.

Yours faithfully,

(Signature/ Thumb impression of the account holder)

Name: ………………………………….

Mobile No. …………………………

Email: ………………………………….

Enclosure: copy of the Aadhaar letter self-attested,

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

........

Confirmation of insertion / linking of Aadhaar number with Bank Account:

The Account number ………………………………… of Shri / smt ………………………….. with ---------------

----(Bank) Branch

……………………… has been linked with Aadhaar/UID number ………………………………….

And mobile number

Date …………….

(Bank’s authorized official)

22

Annexure III – Mapper file format

Mapper File Format

Header

S.

No

Field

Name

Max

Length

Field Type Status Field Description

Remarks

Header

1 Header

Identifier

2 NUM

M

Header identifier

for the mapper file

31 – Constant

value

2 Uploading

Bank IIN

9 NUM

M

6 digit IIN of the

bank uploading the

file and left padded

with zeroes

000555555

3 User

Name

30 ALP / NUM M

Name of the person

who has prepared

the file and right

padded with spaces

Example -

Srinivas Rao

4 Date of

Input

8 DATE

M

Date of preparation

of the file in

DDMMYYYY format

26122011

5 Input file

number

5 NUM

M

File number

generated by

originating bank for

control purpose to

captured file. The

field would be left

padded with

zeroes.

00003

6 Total

number

of records

5 NUM

M

Total number of

records to be

captured by

originating bank,

left padded with

zeroes.

00002

8 Filler

301 ALPH / NUM O

Filler

Spaces

Total

360

23

Detail Record

S.

No

Field

Name

Max

Length

Field Type Status Field Description

Remarks

1 Detail

record

identifier

2 NUM

M

The detail record

identifier

34 – Constant

value

2 Record

Reference

Number

15 ALP / NUM M

Unique Number to

identify the record

to be given by bank

3 Aadhaar

Number

15 NUM

M

Aadhaar number of

the beneficiary, left

padded with zeroes

000723456789012

4 Mapped

IIN

9 NUM

M

6 digit IIN of the

bank which holds

the account for the

beneficiary, left

padded with zeroes

000560112

5 Mandate

Flag

1 ALP

M

The Mandate flag

can only be 'Y' or 'N'.

Y

6 Date of

customer

mandate

8 DATE

M/O

This field would be

updated by the

participant bank

user based on date

mentioned in the

mandate provided

by customer if the

Mandate Flag is 'Y'

DDMMYYYY

7 Mapping

Status

1 ALP / NUM O

Determines status

of existing UID & IIN

mapping in mapper

system i.e. active or

inactive.

Value will be one

space in case of

new mapping

creation or updation

to existing mapping.

Value will be “I” if

existing UID & IIN

mapping is to be

deactivated. If

Mapping Status is

not provided then it

is considered as

space.

8 OD Flag

1 ALP

M

The OD flag can

only be 'Y' or 'N'.

9 OD Date

8 DATE

M/O

OD Date is

mandatory when

the OD Flag is “Y”

DDMMYYYY

10 Previous

IIN

9 ALP / NUM O

Reserved field

Prefixed with

"000"

24

Detail Record

S.

No

Field

Name

Max

Length

Field Type Status Field Description

Remarks

11 Reserved

field

291 ALP/NUM

O

Reserved field

To be filled with

spaces. Usage

will be

communicated

later.

Total

360

25

Annexure IV – Mapper Reject Codes

Mapper Status

Code

Description

0

Mandate date in the record must be greater than that of the

existing UID

1

Duplicate UID record

2

Future mandate date is not accepted

3

Fresh insert must be Active only

5

Aadhaar Number is not mapped to your IIN or Scheme

7

Inserted For the First Time

8

Updated UID record

9

Invalid Aadhaar_No, Verhoeff Checksum validation Failed

10

Invalid Aadhaar_No, Aadhaar number is not equal to 12 digits

11

Invalid Aadhaar_No, Aadhaar number must not start with 1

12

Mandate Flag must be Y

13

Mapped to Some Other Bank and OD already exists

14

OD can be set Y only when mandate flag is Y

15

Aadhaar number cannot be inactivated when OD flag Y

16

Future OD date is not accepted

17

OD date in the record must be greater than that of the existing OD

date

18

OD date in the record must be greater than or equal to Mandate

date

19

Mandate should not be prior to 2012 January

21

Aadhaar number updated as banks merged

22

Mandate flag and Mandate date is mandatory for fresh insert

23

Mandate flag and Mandate date is mandatory

26

Annexure V – Root Cause of Issues and Solutions

S.

No

Mapper/

TXN

Type of Error

Solution

1 Mapper

Customer mandate

less than existing UID

date

Customer has already seeded the Aadhaar with

some other bank with the mandate date later

than what has been given by the bank. Give a

later date for the Aadhaar number to be

seeded

2 Mapper

Invalid Aadhaar

number

Aadhaar number given does not match the

verhoeff algorithm.

3 Mapper

Status of Aadhaar

number not known

Use the lookup option to know the status in

case of bulk. For one or two Aadhaar numbers,

banks can use the MIS option or API

Use the lookup option to know the status in

case of bulk. For one or two Aadhaar numbers,

banks can use the MIS option or API

4 Txn

Invalid IIN

Destination bank IIN number need not be given

in the transaction file. If wrong IIN is given,

transaction will get rejected.

5 Txn

Amount exceeds

individual transaction

amount

Amount given for per transaction in the header

is less than the actual transaction value.

Change the higher cap amount in the header

6 Txn

Duplicate reference

number

Reference number should be unique for a user

for a day. This is applicable across files

7 Txn

Invalid Aadhaar

number

Aadhaar number is not available in the NPCI

mapper database

8 Txn

Participant not

mapped

The destination bank to which the transaction

is to be routed, is not live for the product

2

6

Annexure VI – APB File format Input

Sr. No

Field Description

Existing

length

Field Type

Mandatory/Optional

Remarks

(Header) Credit Contra Record

1

APBS transaction code

2

NUM

Mandatory

APBS transaction code 33 for APBS credit.

2

User Number

7 ALP NUM

Mandatory

User number allotted by NPCI at the time of Registration ;

1-7digit Corporate number

3

User Name

40 ALP / NUM

Mandatory

Name of Government Department / Agency / User

4

User Reference

14 ALP / NUM

Mandatory

User defined reference number for entire transaction

5

APBS Tape Input Number

9

NUM

Optional

User defined input tape

6

Sponsor Bank IIN

9

NUM

Mandatory

6 digit Sponsor Bank IIN

7

User's Bank Account Number

15 ALP / NUM

Optional

Account number of user with sponsor bank

8

Ledger Folio Number

3 ALP / NUM

Optional

Ledger folio particulars

9

User Defined limit for individual items

13

NUM

Optional

User defined limit which would be taken to validate

individual items amount

10

Total Items

9

NUM

Mandatory

Total items in the file

11

Total Amount (Balancing Amount)

13

NUM

Mandatory

Amount in paise

12

Settlement Date (DDMMYYYY)

8

NUM

Mandatory

Date on which settlement is to be effected

13

Reserved (kept blank by user)

10

NUM

Optional

APBS item sequence number to be allotted by NPCI

14

Reserved (kept blank by user)

10

NUM

Optional

Checksum total generated by NPCI

15

Filler

3 ALP / NUM

Optional

Spaces

Total

165

Credit Records

1

APBS Transaction Code

2

NUM

Mandatory

Transaction code 77 for APBS credit.

2

Destination Bank IIN

9

NUM

Optional

6 digit Destination Bank IIN, Left padded with zeroes.This

field could be left blank by the sponsor bank as the APBS

mapper has capability to populate this field.

3

Destination Account Type

2

NUM

Optional

MICR transaction code

4

Ledger Folio Number

3 ALP / NUM

Optional

Alphanumeric ledger folio particulars

6

Beneficiary Aadhaar Number

15

NUM

Mandatory

Beneficiary's 12 digit Aadhaar Number

7

Beneficiary Account Holder's Name

40

ALP / NUM

Optional

Beneficiary's account name (to be updated by destination

bank)

8

Sponsor Bank IIN

9

NUM

Mandatory

6 digit Sponsor Bank IIN

10

User Number

7 ALP NUM

Mandatory

User number allotted by NPCI at the time of Registration ;

1-7 digit Corporate number

11

User Name /Narration

20 ALP / NUM

Optional

Will be used as Narration data

12

User Credit Reference

13

ALP / NUM

Mandatory

User defined reference number such as ledger folio

number, share/debenture certificate number or any other

unique identification number given by user to individual

beneficiaries

14

Amount

13

NUM

Mandatory

Amount in Paise

15

Reserved (APBS Item Seq No.)

10

NUM

Optional

APBS item sequence number to be allotted by NPCI

16

Reserved (Checksum)

10

NUM

Optional

Checksum total generated by NPCI

17

Reserved (Flag for success / return)

1

NUM

Optional

Flag for items credited (1) and returned uncredited (0)

allotted by NPCI

19

Reserved (Return codes)

2

NUM

Optional

Spaces in case null, otherwise return code left padded

with space (to be updated by destination bank)

20

Filler

9

NUM

Optional

To be kept blank

21

MORD Reference Number

30 ALP NUM

Optional

Reference Number provided by MORD Department

22

Group ID

30 ALP NUM

Optional

Group ID provided by MORD Department

23

FTO Number

50 ALP NUM

Optional

FTO Number provided by MORD Department

Total

275

28

Inward

Sr. No

Field Description

Existing length

Field

Type

Mandatory/Opt

ional

Remarks

1

ABPS transaction Code

2

NUM

Mandatory

Code 33

2

Control Character

7

ALP NUM

Optional

Zeros

3

Filler

87

ALP NUM

Optional

Spaces

4

Control Character

7

ALP NUM

Mandatory

Six digit Destination Bank IIN left padded with a zero.

5

Total number of Items

9

NUM

Mandatory

Total number of records in File.

6

Total Amount

13

NUM

Mandatory

Total amount of the file, in paise.

7

Settlement Date

8

NUM

Mandatory

Settlement Date in ddmmyyyy format

8

Filler

44

ALP NUM

Optional

43 spaces and a dot at the end.

Total

177

1 APBS Transaction Code

2

NUM

Mandatory

Code 77

2 Destination Bank IIN

9

ALP NUM

Mandatory

Six digit Destination Bank IIN left padded with a zero.

3 Destination Account Type

2

NUM

Optional

MICR transaction code

4 Ledger Folio Number

3

ALP NUM

Optional

Alpha numeric Ledger Folio particulars

5 Beneficiary Aadhaar Number

15

ALP NUM

Mandatory

Beneficiary's 12 digit Aadhaar number.

6 Beneficiary account holder's name

40

ALP NUM

Optional

In case the transaction is successful this could be populated

7 Sponsor Bank IIN

9

ALP NUM

Mandatory

Six digit Sponsor Bank IIN left padded with a zero.

8 User number

7

ALP NUM

Mandatory

Existing User Number

9 User Name /Narration

20

ALP NUM

Mandatory

If Narration data is present in ISO XML, same will be populated, else this

field will contain corporate user name

10 User Credit reference

13

ALP NUM

Mandatory

User defined Reference Number such as Ledger Folio number, or Share /

Debenture Cert. No. or any other unique identification number given by the

User for the individual beneficiaries

11 Amount

13

NUM

Mandatory

Amount in paise

12 Reserved (Kept blank by user)

10

NUM

Mandatory

ACH item Sequence Number to be allotted by NPCI

13 Reserved (Kept blank by user)

10

NUM

Mandatory

Checksum total generated by NPCI.

14 Reserved (Kept blank by user)

2

NUM

Optional

Flag for items credited / debited (1) and returned uncredited / undebited

(0)

15 Destination bank account number

20

ALP NUM

Optional

This will be blank. Field will be populated by destination bank for

successful transactions only.

16 Return reason code

2

NUM

Optional

Spaces in case null, otherwise return code left padded with space.

Total

177

Header Record

Credit Records

29

Return

Sr. No

Field Description

Existing

length

Field

Type

Mandatory

/Optional

Remarks

1

ABPS transaction Code

2

NUM

Mandatory Code 33

2

Control Character

7

ALP NUM Optional Should be Zeroes

3

Filler

87

ALP NUM Optional Spaces

4

Control Character

7

ALP NUM Mandatory Six digit Destination Bank IIN left padded with a zero.

5

Total number of Items

9

NUM

Mandatory Total number of records in File, left padded with zeroes.

6

Total Amount

13

NUM

Mandatory Total amount in the file, in paise.

7

Settlement Date

8

NUM

Mandatory Settlement Date in ddmmyyyy format

8

Filler

44

ALP NUM Optional 43 spaces ending with a dot (.)

Total

177

1

APBS transaction code

2

NUM

Mandatory Code 77 for accepted and 88 for rejected (Reject code is updated by NPCI)

2

Destination Sort Code

9

ALP NUM Mandatory Six digit Destination Bank IIN left padded with zeroes.

3

Destination account type

2

NUM

Optional Account type

4

Ledger folio number

3

ALP NUM Optional Alpha numeric Ledger Folio particulars

5

Beneficiary Aadhaar Number

15

ALP NUM Mandatory Beneficiary's 12 digit Aadhaar Number

6

Beneficiary Name

40

ALP NUM Mandatory Name of Beneficiary could be populated in case of success.

7

Sponsor Bank-Branch Sort code/IFSC/IIN/MICR

9

NUM

Mandatory Six digit Sponsor Bank IIN left padded with zeroes.

8

User number

7

ALP NUM Mandatory Existing User Number

9

User name/ Narration

20

ALP NUM Optional Name og Govt Deptt / Agency; Will be used as Narration data

10

User Credit Reference (transaction Ref no)

13

ALP NUM Mandatory

User defined Reference Number such as Ledger Folio number, or Share /

Debenture Cert. No. or any other unique identification number given by the

User for the individual beneficiaries

11

Amount

13

NUM

Mandatory Amount in paise

12

Reserved

10

NUM

Mandatory APBS Sequence Number to be allotted by NPCI

13

Reserved

10

NUM

Mandatory Checksum total generated by NPCI

14

Reserved

2

NUM

Optional Flag for items credited / debited (1) and returned uncredited / undebited (0)

15

Destination Bank Account Number

20

ALP NUM Mandatory In case the transaction is successful this could be populated

16

Return Reason Code

2

NUM

Mandatory Reason for not crediting in case of return- Bank to Update

17

Processed date

8

NUM

Optional

Customer credit date to be provided to identify the actual credit date of

customer in the format DDMMYYYY

Total

185

Header Record

Credit Records

30

Response

Sr. No

Field Description

Existing length Field TypeMandatory/Optional

Remarks

Header Record

1

APBS transaction Code

2

NUM

Mandatory APBS - Credit transaction code 33

2

User Number

7

ALPH / NUM Mandatory Existing User Number

3

User name

40

ALP

Mandatory Name of the Government Department / Agency

4

User Credit Reference

14

ALP / NUM Mandatory User defined reference number for the entire

transaction (Alpha Numeric).

5

APBS tape input

9

NUM

Optional

User defined input tape

6

Sponsor Bank IIN

9

NUM

Mandatory BIN / IIN allocated by NPCI. This is 6 digits. hence to

be left padded with three zeros

7

User’s bank Account number

15

ALP / NUM Optional

Account number of the User to be debited by

Sponsor Bank. (Alpha numeric)

8

Ledger Folio number

3

ALP / NUM Optional

Alpha numeric Ledger Folio particulars

9

User defined limit for individual credit

items

13

NUM

Optional

User defined limit which would be taken for

validating the individual items (in paise)

10

Total items

9

NUM

Mandatory Total number of items

11

Total amount (Balancing Debit amount)

13

NUM

Mandatory Amount in paise

12

Settlement date (DDMMYYYY)

8

NUM

Mandatory Effective Date of Settlement, as desired by

Government Departments.

13

Item Sequence Number

10

NUM

Mandatory APBS Item Sequence number generated by NPCI

14

Checksum

10

NUM

Mandatory Checksum generated by NPCI

15

Filler

15

NUM

Optional

Filler

Total

177

1

APBS Transaction Code

2 NUM

Mandatory Transaction code 77 for APBS credit.

Code 88 will be used for returned transactions

2

Destination Bank IIN

9 NUM

Mandatory 6 digit Destination Bank IIN

3

Destination Account Type

2 NUM

Optional

Account type

4

Ledger Folio Number

3 ALP / NUM Optional

Alphanumeric ledger folio particulars

5

Beneficiary Aadhaar Number

15 NUM

Mandatory Beneficiary's 12 digit Aadhaar Number

6

Beneficiary account holder's name

40 ALP / NUM Optional

Beneficiary's account name could be popopulated in

the event of a success tranx. If not provided, the

same will not be populated.

7

Sponsor Bank IIN

9 NUM

Mandatory 6 digit Sponsor Bank IIN

8

User number

7 ALP / NUM Mandatory Existing User number

9

User Name /Narration

20 ALP / NUM Optional

Will contain Narration Data, same as what was

provided in INP file.

10

User Credit reference

13 ALP / NUM Mandatory User defined reference number such as ledger folio

number, share/debenture certificate number or any

other unique identification number given by user to

individual beneficiaries

11

Amount

13 NUM

Mandatory Amount in Paise

12

Item sequence Number

10 NUM

Mandatory APBS item sequence number to be allotted by NPCI

13

Checksum

10 NUM

Mandatory Checksum total generated by NPCI

14

Success Flag

1 NUM

Mandatory Flag for items credited (1) and returned uncredited

(0), automatically generated by NPCI

15

Filler

1 NUM

Optional

Used for internal purpose

16

Reason Code

2 NUM

Mandatory Reason for not crediting the item

17

Destination Bank account number

20 ALP/NUM

Optional

If the transaction is successful this field could be

populated.

Total

177

Credit Records

31

Annexure-VII Aadhaar look up – reason code and description

Response Code

Description

0

Enabled for DBT

1

Disabled for DBT

2

Never Enabled for DBT

4

Cancelled by UIDAI