UPSC 2020: 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 of 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 Supreme Court held that Aadhaar authentication logs may be retained for only six months, not three; thus statement 1 is incorrect. It struck down Section 57, barring the State from contracting with private bodies for sharing Aadhaar data, so statement 2 is correct. The Court made Aadhaar optional for private services such as insurance, making statement 3 incorrect. Section 7 was upheld, allowing Aadhaar to be required for benefits funded from the Consolidated Fund of India, so statement 4 is correct. Therefore, only statements 2 and 4 are correct (option b). ([financialexpress.com](https://www.financialexpress.com/money/aadhaar-card-aadhaar-authentication-data-cant-be-retained-beyond-6-months-says-supreme-court-1328066/?utm_source=openai))