In 2009, I became extremely concerned with the concept of Unique Identity for various reasons. Connected with many like minded highly educated people who were all concerned.
On 18th May 2010, I started this Blog to capture anything and everything I came across on the topic. This blog with its million hits is a testament to my concerns about loss of privacy and fear of the ID being misused and possible Criminal activities it could lead to.
In 2017 the Supreme Court of India gave its verdict after one of the longest hearings on any issue. I did my bit and appealed to the Supreme Court Judges too through an On Line Petition.
In 2019 the Aadhaar Legislation has been revised and passed by the two houses of the Parliament of India making it Legal. I am no Legal Eagle so my Opinion carries no weight except with people opposed to the very concept.
In 2019, this Blog now just captures on a Daily Basis list of Articles Published on anything to do with Aadhaar as obtained from Daily Google Searches and nothing more. Cannot burn the midnight candle any longer.
"In Matters of Conscience, the Law of Majority has no place"- Mahatma Gandhi
Ram Krishnaswamy
Sydney, Australia.

Aadhaar

The UIDAI has taken two successive governments in India and the entire world for a ride. It identifies nothing. It is not unique. The entire UID data has never been verified and audited. The UID cannot be used for governance, financial databases or anything. It’s use is the biggest threat to national security since independence. – Anupam Saraph 2018

When I opposed Aadhaar in 2010 , I was called a BJP stooge. In 2016 I am still opposing Aadhaar for the same reasons and I am told I am a Congress die hard. No one wants to see why I oppose Aadhaar as it is too difficult. Plus Aadhaar is FREE so why not get one ? Ram Krishnaswamy

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.-Mahatma Gandhi

In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.Mahatma Gandhi

“The invasion of privacy is of no consequence because privacy is not a fundamental right and has no meaning under Article 21. The right to privacy is not a guaranteed under the constitution, because privacy is not a fundamental right.” Article 21 of the Indian constitution refers to the right to life and liberty -Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi

“There is merit in the complaints. You are unwittingly allowing snooping, harassment and commercial exploitation. The information about an individual obtained by the UIDAI while issuing an Aadhaar card shall not be used for any other purpose, save as above, except as may be directed by a court for the purpose of criminal investigation.”-A three judge bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar said in an interim order.

Legal scholar Usha Ramanathan describes UID as an inverse of sunshine laws like the Right to Information. While the RTI makes the state transparent to the citizen, the UID does the inverse: it makes the citizen transparent to the state, she says.

Good idea gone bad
I have written earlier that UID/Aadhaar was a poorly designed, unreliable and expensive solution to the really good idea of providing national identification for over a billion Indians. My petition contends that UID in its current form violates the right to privacy of a citizen, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. This is because sensitive biometric and demographic information of citizens are with enrolment agencies, registrars and sub-registrars who have no legal liability for any misuse of this data. This petition has opened up the larger discussion on privacy rights for Indians. The current Article 21 interpretation by the Supreme Court was done decades ago, before the advent of internet and today’s technology and all the new privacy challenges that have arisen as a consequence.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP Rajya Sabha

“What is Aadhaar? There is enormous confusion. That Aadhaar will identify people who are entitled for subsidy. No. Aadhaar doesn’t determine who is eligible and who isn’t,” Jairam Ramesh

But Aadhaar has been mythologised during the previous government by its creators into some technology super force that will transform governance in a miraculous manner. I even read an article recently that compared Aadhaar to some revolution and quoted a 1930s historian, Will Durant.Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Rajya Sabha MP

“I know you will say that it is not mandatory. But, it is compulsorily mandatorily voluntary,” Jairam Ramesh, Rajya Saba April 2017.

August 24, 2017: The nine-judge Constitution Bench rules that right to privacy is “intrinsic to life and liberty”and is inherently protected under the various fundamental freedoms enshrined under Part III of the Indian Constitution

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the World; indeed it's the only thing that ever has"

“Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.” -Edward Snowden

In the Supreme Court, Meenakshi Arora, one of the senior counsel in the case, compared it to living under a general, perpetual, nation-wide criminal warrant.

Had never thought of it that way, but living in the Aadhaar universe is like living in a prison. All of us are treated like criminals with barely any rights or recourse and gatekeepers have absolute power on you and your life.

Announcing the launch of the # BreakAadhaarChainscampaign, culminating with events in multiple cities on 12th Jan. This is the last opportunity to make your voice heard before the Supreme Court hearings start on 17th Jan 2018. In collaboration with @no2uidand@rozi_roti.

UIDAI's security seems to be founded on four time tested pillars of security idiocy

1) Denial

2) Issue fiats and point finger

3) Shoot messenger

4) Bury head in sand.

God Save India

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

4533 - 'Anna Bhagya' stumbles on poor PDS delivery - New Indian Express



By Prabhu Mallikarjunan - BANGALORE
Published: 26th August 2013 10:49 AM
Last Updated: 26th August 2013 10:49 AM

  • A random check by Express at FPS in Bangalore Urban indicates that a whopping 60 to 70 per cent of the beneficiaries have not got their Rs 1 a kg rice quota. | EPS file photo 
The Congress’ flagship Anna Bhagya scheme to give rice at Rs 1 a kg, listed as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s biggest achievement in the last 100 days, has not reached many beneficiaries in the state, if the Bangalore figures are any indication.

Ineffective procurement, distribution and storage of foodgrains at fair price shops (FPS) and wholesale distribution centres has ensured the poor have not got what was promised to them.

State-wide figures on how much rice was lifted in July-August are not available even with the Department of Food and Civil Supplies, but a random check by Express at FPS in Bangalore Urban indicates that a whopping 60 to 70 per cent of the beneficiaries have not got their Rs 1 a kg rice quota.

Kumaraswamy (name changed), 61, an apartment guard and BPL card-holder, went to Fair Price Shop No 81 at Ramamurthy Nagar here thrice last month to collect the 30 kg of rice due to him under the scheme.

He told Express: “My efforts were in vain as the shop remained closed on all my visits. The notice board had no contact information. When I finally met the shop owner, I was asked to present my Aadhaar card to be eligible for the scheme. I do not have one, so I returned empty-handed.”

Officially, the only eligibility needed to get rice under this scheme is the BPL card.

In another incident, the store clerk at FPS No 75 at Siddapura on Whitefield Road here informed a customer that the shop will remain open only from Friday to Sunday as stock was not available throughout the week.

According to norms, the FPS should remain open on all days between 8 am and 12 pm and 4 pm and 8 pm, except Tuesdays.

A random check of the real-time data of two centres in Bangalore also revealed the poor reach of the scheme.

Though the scheme was launched on July 10, according to the Food and Civil Supplies Department’s data for July, only 599 people received 30 kg rice at Bangalore Central Okalipuram depot (FPS No 39), while the remaining 1,787 BPL card-holders had no access to the grains. This works out to about 30 per cent supply.

At FPS No 92 under Bangalore South Tilak Nagar depot, stocks were sufficient for only 1,163 people. The number of BPL card-holders under its purview are double the figure.

At the other centres in Chikmagalur, Tumkur, Gulbarga and Mysore, where data was tested real-time, information itself was not available online. The data was not updated in the correct format. Food and Civil Supplies commissioner Harsh Gupta accepted that the distribution system was ineffective, but said officials were in the process of reviving it. “The PDS had problems even before the scheme was implemented. This cannot be tackled in isolation and it takes time.

By October-end, we will try to set things right. Customers can be assured that the stocks will be picked up before the 10th of every month and available for distribution,” Food and Civil Supplies commissioner Harsh Gupta said.

The Okalipuram and Tilak Nagar data, he said, “could be a discrepancy in the data as not many customers have biometric cards. The data reflected in the system may not be correct”.

A committee headed by R Balasubramaiam, under the Lokayukta, had submitted a report in 2011 exposing the leakages and mismanagement in the PDS in Karnataka. The reported annual economic loss was  `1,737.6 crore, and this was much before the Rs 4,200 crore subsidy to the ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme.
The report also had made recommendations to improve the PDS, which are yet to see the light of day.

(The customer was not willing to reveal his name as he feared he will be put to hardship for reporting the incident)

4532 - Plea against UIDAI refusal to disclose info on MNCs' role - New Indian Express



By Tarun Nangia - NEW DELHI
Published: 26th August 2013 09:56 AM
Last Updated: 26th August 2013 09:56 AM

A former defence scientist along with a group of social activists have approached the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC)asking why the information pertaining to the contracts signed by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) with the foreign multinational companies, to collect the personal data of millions of Indians for the Aadhaar scheme, could not be disclosed under the RTI.

“UIDAI claims to be transparent, but the RTI applications filed by me seeking copies of the UIDAI’s contracts with the foreign MNCs  have drawn a blank as the UIDAI said it had signed non-disclosure agreements with the contractors,” said Mathew Thomas, who has now appealed to the CIC against the order of the UIDAI’s Public Information Officer (PIO) and its appellate authority.
“What has the UIDAI got to hide in these contracts?” he wondered.
According to Mathew, national security could be seriously compromised as a result of the database going into the hands of the private firms.

The database of all people, residing in India, with a unique number allocated to each person, will be linked to their bank accounts, tax numbers, LPG consumer numbers, ration cards, insurance, health records, pension records and so on.
And it is reminiscent of the ID cards issued to Indian indentured labour in erstwhile racist South Africa and to the Jews in pre-Second World War Fuehrer’s Germany.

“While the UIDAI claims that it is voluntary to register, it adds in the same breath that the service providers could ask for it. Next the UIDAI says the LPG number will be linked to it, in addition to schemes like the MGNREGA, KYC (Know Your Customer) of banks,” says Mathew.

The Identification of prisoners Act, 1920 allowed the authorities to collect the data of the prisoners,which had to be destroyed once they were released from jail.

“But now one billion Indians are now being treated worse than prisoners,” remarked social activist Gopal Krishna.Mathew said that in 2005, the ‘Real ID Act’ was passed in the US to incorporate biometrics in driving licences. And former British Prime Minister Tony Blair brought in the ‘National ID Card Act’ in the UK in 2005.  These acts were promoted by Washington and London as measures to check the illegal immigration.

4531 - For every citizen, an identity - McKinsey Web site



Nandan Nilekani is chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, which aims to provide digital identification numbers to all Indian citizens, allowing them to establish a legal identity, participate in the formal economy, and receive government services. So far, 200 million Indians have signed on.

October 2012 | McKinsey interview by Eric Braverman and Mary Kuntz

McKinsey: Enrollment in the ID program began in September 2010, and today more than 200 million Indians are in it. Why have so many people enrolled?
Nandan Nilekani: Well, identity rights are very important for participation in the formal economy. Having a document that proves your identity is the basis for owning property. It’s the basis for getting basic entitlements or pensions or scholarships. It’s the basis for travel. India is becoming more of a migrant society—people are moving from villages to cities, from north to south, from central to coastal India. And when they move, they have to prove to the local establishments who they are, or else they can’t open a bank account, buy a mobile connection, or get a job.
About the author

Nandan Nilekani is chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Previously, he was co-chairman and CEO of Infosys Technologies, which he co-founded in 1981. He is the author of Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation. Nilekani earned a BA in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. Eric Braverman is a principal in McKinsey's Washington, DC, office; Mary Kuntz is a contributing editor for McKinsey.
The West has fairly well-developed ID systems. In India, we have around 25 million births a year, but as recognized in the UNICEF report,1 many births are unregistered and there is no equivalent of a Social Security number, as in the United States. Thus many Indians don’t have any document that proves their existence vis-à-vis the state government. That’s the basic problem we’re trying to solve. But the game-changing dimension of our ID platform is that it’s digital.

McKinsey: What impact has the program had on India's government?
Nandan Nilekani: It will have a huge impact on public-service delivery and, in turn, on residents’ satisfaction with the way government works. The platform we created is an open API,2 so other entities—say, banks and telecom companies—can embed our APIs to verify someone’s identity before that person withdraws money or buys a SIM card for a mobile phone. So, for example, if a person is entitled to a pension, all the government has to do is say, “Send this amount to this ID number.” That ID number translates into a bank account, and the money gets credited to the account. The government doesn’t even have to know where the bank account is. Residents will be empowered because they’ll be able to access public services from anywhere. We can authenticate a person online, so services can be delivered online, via mobile phones, or at physical service-delivery locations.

McKinsey: Bringing banks and telcos into such a consortium has raised concerns about privacy and civil liberties. How are you addressing those concerns?
Nandan Nilekani: We used a lot of design principles to make the ID system as privacy enabled as possible. For example, the information we collect from individuals is very simple: just the name, address, date of birth, and gender, with e-mail addresses and phone numbers optional. We also have biometric data, but we use this only to prevent duplication (to make sure a person gets only one unique ID number) and also for authentication. We don’t share people’s data with banks; the banks’ data isn’t shared with the ID system. So whether a person is withdrawing 100 rupees or 1,000 rupees is known only to the bank. You can think of it as a federated architecture, where each player knows only his or her part of the activity.

McKinsey: What does it take for a federated architecture such as this to work?
Nandan Nilekani: There are two big components to our system: the enrollment system and the authentication system. The enrollment system is a distributable, scalable architecture; we have our technology platform running in about 27,000 locations. The enrollment data is encrypted and then sent to our database for issuing unique ID numbers, so that requires massive back-end computing facilities. The authentication system, however, is cloud based. An authentication request—from a bank, for instance—would come over the mobile network. We verify that person’s identity, and we send the answer back.

McKinsey: It sounds like big data plays a role in making this work?
Nandan Nilekani: You can’t manage 27,000 enrollment stations, around 50,000 operators, and a million enrollments a day without big data. At any given point, we can say how many people enrolled, where they enrolled, how long each biometric capture took, how many retries the operator had to do per enrollee. We have that level of granularity in our performance data analytics so we can distinguish good operators from bad operators—which is important because we pay them based on how many people they enroll. Big data is crucial to performance management.
Also, we intend to publish our enrollment data after it has been made anonymous. If somebody wants to analyze enrollments by state, gender, or age, they can just download our data, which is machine readable. You can find out, for example, that a particular region is underserved, because the number of authentication requests from that region is low. As the system matures, there’ll be more of this type of analysis. And again, it’s a balance between enabling such analysis and protecting privacy.

McKinsey: How will you measure the progress of the ID program? In two years, what will you be looking for to declare it a success?
Nandan Nilekani: You’re asking me to make forward-looking statements, something I avoided at my old job. But I’ll make one now—our goal is to have at least half a billion people on the system by 2014, which will make this one of the world’s largest online ID infrastructures. That’s one metric of success.
A second measure of success is to have two or three major applications of this ID infrastructure. The government can use it for electronic benefits transfer—that is, to pay out entitlements, pensions, and other benefits. The government can also use the system for subsidy transfers. Half of the $60 billion the Indian government spends on benefits and entitlements is for subsidies on food, fuel, and fertilizer. The government is looking into converting those subsidies into cash transfers—at least in the case of fertilizer and fuel—as opposed to offering the products at lower prices.

McKinsey: You mentioned your old job. What are some lessons for making major change happen that you have drawn from your experience as an entrepreneur?
Nandan Nilekani: One is the need for speed in implementation—the bias for action. Another is the ability, which is crucial in business, to recognize gaps and niches in the market.
But one area where the public sector is very different from the private sector is the amount of time you have to spend on consensus building and stakeholder navigation. In the private sector, you’re answerable to your management, your board, investors, maybe financial analysts. In the public sector, the number of stakeholders is much larger—the federal government, state and city governments, the media, activists, the public—and they often have different agendas and ideologies. Navigating all this, while preserving the integrity of your approach, requires a lot of negotiation.

Our goal is to have at least half a billion people on the system by 2014.

McKinsey: You've encountered opposition from certain interests. How have you dealt with that?
Nandan Nilekani: Obviously, a transformational change like this will meet resistance from certain groups. To overcome barriers, what we try to do, first of all, is to make the people our champions. The people who enroll in the system become the voice of the system. Part of our strategy is to link the ID to benefits because, fundamentally, the ID is optional. So we’re taking a benefits-oriented approach—for example, if there’s an immunization program that requires an ID, then all the children required will get the ID. Another part of our strategy has to do with speed of execution. We launched the platform in 14 months, and as you mentioned we’ve already enrolled 200 million people. A third thing is that we’ve tried to create a “coalition of the positive.” A lot of people now have a stake in the success of this project. Banks and telcos, for example, have an interest in helping us make it work.

McKinsey: Other countries are experimenting with digital-ID programs and are trying to scale them. What advice can you give these countries?
Nandan Nilekani: They should have a scalable architecture right from the beginning. We could scale to 27,000 enrollment stations in one year because we built an entire ecosystem—there was a software platform, a hardware platform, a training platform for operators. We had many partners so that the load would get shared. We did a lot of things architecturally to drive scale.

Who are you, really? An Indian man
scans his fingerprints to enroll in his
country's digital ID program, which, for
many, has provided the first legal proof
of identity.


But what’s equally important is that we expect to see a lot more innovation because of the platform’s open API. That’s the best way to do this: the government builds the platform but makes it open so that individual creativity and entrepreneurship can build more solutions.


Ultimately, what we’d like to accomplish in this role is to create a thriving application ecosystem around the platform. Over the next few years, we’d like to see more apps developed by both the public and private sectors—and the fact that so many people are enrolled in the system will, we hope, spur more developers to build applications. We want to create a virtuous cycle between applications and enrollment. We also want to make sure that there’s a sustainable organization that can continue to deliver on the promise of this transformational project.

4530 - 110 Questions in Parliament on UID - UIDAI WEBSITE

4529 - LOK SABHA QUESTION on REJECTION OF UIDAI BILL by VILAS BABURAO MUTTEMWAR


GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF PLANNING
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 292
ANSWERED ON 14.03.2012
REJECTION OF UIDAI BILL
292 . Shri  VILAS BABURAO MUTTEMWAR

Will the Minister of PLANNING be pleased to state:-
(a) the details of the issues raised by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance and the reasons for rejection of UIDAI Bill as reported in the media;
(b) the steps taken to resolve the issue;
(c) the number of persons who have either been issued the Unique ID numbers or are yet to get the same after having been enrolled;
(d) the total amount allocated till date for the implementation of this scheme and the amount spent so far; and
(e) the agencies engaged for the purpose and the cost per bio-metric identity being incurred?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR PLANNING, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCE

(a): The report of the Standing Committee on Finance on the National Identification Authority of Bill, 2010 was presented by the Committee to the Lok Sabha on 13th December, 2011 and laid in the Rajya on 13th December, 2011. The Committee has, inter alia, given its observations on giving number to every resident and not restricting the Unique identification scheme to citizens, reliability of technology, legislative safeguards for data protection and duplication of work with 
the National Population Register exercise.
(b): The observations of the Committee are under consideration of the Government.
(c): 13.80 crore aadhaar have been issued as on 7th March, 2012 against 19.29 resident data packets received at the Central Identities Data Repository.
(d): Cost estimates of  8, 962.06 crore have been approved for Phases I, II and III of the scheme for the period upto March, 2017. Out of this, the year wise budgetary allocation and expenditure incurred so far is as under:
Year Budget Estimates Revised Estimates Expenditure incurred 
(in crore of Rs) (in crore of Rs) (in crore of Rs)2009-10 120.00 30.92 26.21
2010-11 1900.00 960.66 268.41
2011-12 1470.00 1200.00 773.24
(up to 
February 2012)
(e): Enrolment of residents is carried out by Registrars who collect biometric and demographic data through enrolment agencies. Registrars can be Departments of the State Governments, Public sector banks or financial institutions. The UIDAI has been giving assistance to Registrars at the rate of ` 50 per successful aadhaar generation.

Monday, August 26, 2013

4528 - News on Aadhaar Dated 24th August 2013


The Hindu
Aadhaar card is not mandatory to avail of subsidies under government schemes including on domestic cooking gas, the government on Friday said in the Rajya ...


Hindu Business Line
Union Bank of India is helping its customers in linking their Aadhaar number to their savings bank accounts through SMS so that they can avail themselves of the ...


The Hindu
For people who have been waiting for months or even more than a year after enrolment to receive their Unique Identity number (Aadhaar), chances are the wait ...


The Asian Age
New Delhi: Aadhaar card is not mandatory to avail of subsidies under government schemes including on domestic cooking gas, the government on Friday said ...


The Hindu
If you have successfully got your Aadhaar card, pat yourselves on your back for it is a great achievement. The entire city seems to be boggled by the haphazard ...


The Asian Age
To a separate question asked during Question Hour, the government clarified that the Aadhaar card is not mandatory to avail of subsidies under government ...

4527 - Aadhaar: Does it serve any purpose now? - Money Life

Aadhaar: Does it serve any purpose now?
AK RAMDAS | 22/08/2013 12:47 PM |   


After the initial fanfare and enthusiasm for introducing the Aadhaar identification, the interest has slowly died down. Why should this be so?

4526 - Govt sets 30 Aug deadline for banks to match Aadhaar coverage - Live Mint


Move comes after it became evident that absence of bank accounts linked to Aadhaar numbers could act as a hurdle for direct benefits transfer scheme


First Published: Thu, Aug 22 2013. 04 13 PM IST

A file photo of people registering for Aadhaar card in New Delhi. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint

Updated: Thu, Aug 22 2013. 04 57 PM IST

New Delhi: The government has set a 30 August deadline for banks to match the coverage of Aadhaar in the 20 districts where it has rolled out the direct transfer of cooking gas subsidy, but bankers said the deadline would likely be missed.

The move comes after it became evident that the absence of bank accounts linked to Aadhaar identification numbers issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) could act as a hurdle in the implementation of the so-called direct benefits transfer programme of the government—one of the Congress’ major talking points in coming state and general elections.

Starting 1 September, in the 20 districts where the scheme has been rolled out, customers will have no option but to pay market price for cooking gas and be reimbursed a subsidy through a transfer to their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. Now, customers who haven’t had their bank accounts linked with Aadhaar numbers have the option of getting subsidized cylinders from dealers.

Bank executives who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the process would likely stabilize well after the deadline expires for consumers, which means that they will have to buy cooking gas cylinders at the market price. The officials blamed part of the problem on infrastructural and procedural issues and the other part on the tendency of customers to not do anything till the deadline for it expired.

A government official who asked not to be identified said the government would take stock of the situation on 30 August.

The bank executives, all district-level bank supervisors, blamed shortage of manpower, incomplete data from oil marketers and issues such as names in Aadhaar-linked database and bank accounts not matching. They also added that many consumers interested to receive the subsidy will approach banks only when cylinders are available only at market price.

“We have been at it, trying to push seeding to Aadhaar penetration levels, but customers will dash to the banks when the subsidized cylinders stop and they feel the pinch,” said one bank executive from a southern district where the LPG benefits transfer began on 1 June. In that district, 74% beneficiaries have their Aadhaar numbers and 49% of accounts have been linked, this person added.
Indeed, all 20 districts chosen for the pilot of the scheme, because of the high Aadhaar penetration in them, have fared badly in terms of linking bank accounts to the unique IDs.

On 26 July, the finance ministry wrote to banks pointing out that the linking of consumer accounts with Aadhaar numbers has been unsatisfactory.

“... to facilitate smooth direct benefit transfer of subsidy to the LPG consumers you may take such necessary steps to ensure that respective bank functionaries obtain Aadhaar number from the customers directly and seed them into the bank accounts without waiting for the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to provide the requisite database of Aadhaar,” the letter said.

A second government official who also did not want to be identified blamed the banks and said they started their linking efforts much after the 1 June start of the scheme in the 20 districts.

“Thirty-five more districts are set to be added from 1 September, but banks have not started doing anything much to get bank accounts seeded,” the official added.

The head of a state-run oil marketer said on 10 August that banks have not been doing their bit. He declined to be named.

To be sure, the linking of bank accounts and Aadhaar numbers has worked far better in the case of cooking gas cylinders than it has for other schemes under the direct benefits transfer programme.

In a 16 August answer to a Parliament question, the finance ministry said only 9.62% of beneficiary accounts for the other schemes under the programme were linked to Aadhaar.

Utpal Bhaskar contributed to this story.

4525 - More time to link Aadhaar with account - The Hindu


THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, August 23, 2013

STAFF REPORTER

Direct transfer of LPG subsidy to Kerala consumers' bank account
LPG consumers will get at least two more months to get their Aadhaar numbers linked to bank accounts and there is no need to panic, government sources have told The Hindu.

The clarification came in the backdrop of the Centre preparing to resort to direct benefits transfer (DBT) of LPG subsidy from September 1.

“There has been no official communication yet to the banks and the government about the scheme being implemented from September 1. We only came to know about it through a press release issued by the Union Ministry of Petroleum. We also came to know that that those who have not linked their Aadhaar with bank accounts will be eligible to get subsidised cylinder till November 1,” a senior government official told The Hindu.

A senior representative in the State-Level Bankers’ Committee confirmed that they had not received any official communication in this regard.

From the day reports started appearing, people had been thronging gas stations and banks to link their Aadhaar numbers to avail themselves of the cash benefit. There were complaints that LPG dealers had been asking consumers to go in for fresh connections in case of disparity in the name mentioned in the Aadhaar card and the dealers’ documents, he said.

Additional District Magistrate V.R. Vinod said the district administration had not received any specific complaints regarding this.

An official with the Kerala State Information Technology Mission, the nodal agency for implementing the scheme, told The Hindu that they had achieved 80.26 Aadhaar penetration in the district.

Those yet to receive the card may check the status by logging on to www.uidai.gov.in or by sending an SMS in the following format: UID STATUS <14 digit="" enrolment="" number=""> to 51969.

4524 - E-service to link existing records to Aadhar launched

E-service to link existing records to Aadhar launched
Manish Raj, TNN Aug 22, 2013, 04.02AM IST

CHENNAI: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched an electronic 'know your customer' (e- KYC) service to help people link existing records to their Aadhaar numbers in an easy and secure manner. It provides instant electronic proof of address, date of birth, gender, mobile number and email to service providers.


Using e-KYC, people can connect their existing documents like ration cards, pension accounts and driving licences with Aadhaar. This is expected to make data collection and verification easier for services like getting a new SIM card, bank account or a passport. Customers will not have to physically carry the required documents to avail themselves of services.

Under the new system, one can authorise the UIDAI to release e-KYC data to a service provider. The consent can be provided either in person (through biometric authentication) or online (through one-time password generation).
After authentication, the UIDAI will provide details like name, address, date of birth, mobile number and email address to the service provider electronically. This information at the point of service delivery will determine the eligibility of the consumer for services like LPG connection, scholarship, a loan, a social security pension and mobile connection.
e-KYC document is legally equivalent to paper documents as data transfer is secured through encryption and digital signature as per the requirements of IT Act, 2000. Further, as the data is provided by the UIDAI, there is no risk of forged documents. It will benefit service providers and regulators. While service providers will have reduced costs, enhanced security and better sales conversion, the latter can monitor compliance effectively. By eliminating the use of paper it will also be environment friendly.
Indian Bank chairman and managing director T M Bhasin said e-KYC would help customers approach banks and open accounts. It would also help banks implement subsidy schemes like Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and DBT for LPG (DBTL).

4523 - Haryana Govt fixes Oct 31 as deadline for Aaadhar enrolment- Business Standard

Press Trust of India  |  Gurgaon  August 21, 2013 Last Updated at 23:33 IST


The Haryana government has fixed October 31 as the deadline for completion of enrolment for 'Aadhaar' cards in the state and asked six district commissioners to complete the process in time-bound manner.

This was disclosed by Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue), Haryana Krishan Mohan and Deputy Director General of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Keshni Anand Arora in a meeting organised here today.

Arora directed the deputy commissioners of six districts- Gurgaon, Mewat, Faridabad, Palwal, Rewari and Mehendergarh of Gurgaon division, who participated in the meeting, to expedite the work of Aadhaar enrolment and fixed Oct 31 as the deadline.

"The state government is giving priority to preparation of Aadhaar, so that it can be linked to various government sponsored welfare schemes.

"It has become very crucial so the DCs need to identify pockets where there is gap in the enrolment or where the enrolment agencies have not reached till now. Those pockets need to be catered to and enrolment be done there on drive basis," she said.

Arora said that till the original Aadhaar card is received, the people can take benefit of 'e-Aadhaar' which can be generated at the permanent enrolment centres.

The facility of e-Aadhaar and updation of information in Aadhaar card can be availed by payment of Rs 10 and Rs 15 at local level itself, the UIDAI official added.

4522 - It's time you enrolled for Aadhaar- New Indian Express

By Express News Service - KAKKANAD
Published: 22nd August 2013 12:24 PM

Last Updated: 22nd August 2013 12:24 PM


According to government agencies, very soon Aadhaar card will be mandatory to access welfare funds, LPG subsidy, pension, educational scholarships and other benefits. But if it is true, a good number of people will be out of the welfare schemes in the district. Of the 33 lakh population in the district, only 27 lakh Aadhaar numbers have been generated till now, according to an official estimate and data obtained from the district office of the Akshaya.

According to K M Ebrahim, assistant district coordinator, Akshaya, the Common Service Centre run by Kerala State IT Mission, the Aadhaar enrollment in the district has touched about 115 per cent. “Even if the enrollment is high, it does not signify that all residents in the district have got the unique identity number,” said Ebrahim.

 He said that several people had enrolled more than once out of confusion and ignorance. “Some people enrolled for the National Population Register (NPR). According to an agreement with the UIDAI and NPR, all those who enrolled for UID will get Aadhaar number. But unfortunately, due to technical reasons the process is time-consuming. Many people who had enrolled with NPR got confused and enrolled themselves again with other enrolling agencies,” he pointed out.

Officials associated with the implementation of the project said that they have received several complaints stating that they are not able to access NPR data base that leads to the access of the unique number. It is also said that the cards have not reached the applicants. This is attributed to the staff shortage in post offices. However, K M Ebrahim said that Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has taken sufficient measures to ensure that all get the UID number.

“People who have not enrolled should contact the nearby Akshaya centres. The basic requirement is a photo address proof such as ration card, passport, driving license or voter ID card.

For those who do not have a valid address proof, a testimonial by a gazetted officer about the validity of the current address will do. There are also options for those who have enrolled but have not received the UID number,” he said.
According to Ebrahim, the latter can go to selected Akshaya centres with very basic data like name, date of birth, pin code and house name given during enrollment and get the printed copy of the Aadhaar card . “People can correct mistakes in addresses also,” he pointed out.

 For more details, call 180042511800 (toll free), 0484-2422693 or 0471-155300.

4521 - UIDAI launches Aadhaar-enabled electronic know your customer service- TOI

Manish Raj, TNN Aug 21, 2013, 03.15PM IST


CHENNAI: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched an electronic know your customer (e- KYC) service to help people link their existing records to their Aadhaar numbers in an easy and secure manner.

People can connect their existing records like ration cards, pension accounts, license and certificates with Aadhaar using e- KYC. It can be used while applying for various documents to ensure efficient delivery of the service.

Under the e-KYC process, one can authorise the UIDAI to release the KYC data to a service provider. The consent can be provided either in person (through biometric authentication) or online. The UIDAI will provide the details like name, address, date of birth, mobile number and email address to the service provider electronically.

"The e-KYC service will enhance customer convenience and increase business efficiency across sectors that require proof of identity and address to open customer accounts," said a press release.
The e-KYC service has been recognised by the ministry of finance as a valid document for all financial services, and the UIDAI is trying to extend it to all ministries and departments.

4520 - Aadhaar card valid proof for opening bank account: Finance Ministry - Economic Times


PTI Aug 21, 2013, 08.08PM IST

NEW DELHI: Aadhaar card is a valid proof for opening a bank account under the know your customer (KYC) norms, government said today.

"Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has notified that the Aadhaar Card is a valid proof for opening of a bank account under the Know Your Customer (KYC) scheme," Finance Ministry said in a statement.


It said that RBI has advised banks to accept Aadhaar letter issued by Unique Identification Authority of India ( UIDAI) as an officially valid document for opening bank accounts without any limitations applicable to small accounts.
RBI has also advised the banks that if the address provided by the account holder is the same as that on Aadhaar letter, it may be accepted as a proof of both identity and address.

This was stated by Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, it added further.

4519 - Salient features of the Food Security Bill launched in three states by Sonia Gandhi to mark Rajiv Gandhi's birthday - dna

Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013, 19:06 IST | Place: New Delhi

According to the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Prof KV Thomas, the bill will lead to massive PDS reforms including doorstep delivery of food grains, end-to-end computerisation, leveraging "aadhaar", etc.



Despite being one of the biggest producers of food supplies, India has a huge amount of population that not only suffers from malnutrition but also cannot afford three meals a day.

The UPA led govt, constructed the Food Security Bill in a bid to provide food security to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population with focus on nutritional needs of children, pregnant and lactating women.

President Pranab Mukherjee signed the ordinance on food security on 6th July, 2013. With this began the historic endeavour to give the nation's two-third population, the right to get 5kg of food grain every month, at highly subsidized rates of Rs 1-3 per kg.

According to the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Prof KV Thomas,the bill will lead to massive PDS reforms including doorstep delivery of food grains, end-to-end computerisation, leveraging “Aadhaar”, etc. PDS will become more transparent and subject to grievance redressal at appropriate levels with provisions for penalties and compensation.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi today launched the ambitious programme in Delhi on the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, while hailing it as an "unparalleled" scheme in the world.

The scheme was rolled out in three Congress-ruled states of Delhi, Haryana and Uttarakhand even as the consideration of the Bill was scuttled in Parliament by the Opposition, which cornered the government on the issue of missing files related to the coal block allocation.

Unveiling the scheme by handing over food grain packets and Aadhar-based smart cards to a number of poor women, Gandhi lauded UPA government for bringing "revolutionary changes" in the life of common man but noted that the struggle is not yet over and a lot was still to be done.

Characteristics of the Bill:
* Up to 75% of the rural population and up to 50% of urban population are to be covered under Targeted Public Distribution System.
* At least 3kg of foodgrains per person per month to be given to general category households,at prices not exceeding 50% of Minimum Support Price.
* The priority households (46% in rural areas and 28% in urban areas) to have a monthly entitlement of 35 Kgs (equivalent to 7 Kgs per person) at a subsidized price of Rs. 1 per Kg for millets, Rs. 2 per Kg for wheat and Rs. 3 per Kg for rice.
* The oldest adult woman in each house would be considered the head of that household when issuing the ration card.
* Children aged six months to 14 years would get take-home ration or hot cooked food.
* The work of identification of eligible households will be left to the states/Union Territory's, which may frame their own criteria or use social, economic and caste census data.
* Maternity benefit to pregnant women and lactating mothers.
* Three-tier independent grievance redressal system.
* Food Security Allowance in case of non-supply of foodgrains or meals.

4518 - Confusion prevails due to slew of pro-poor schemes - TOI

Ambika Pandit, TNN Aug 21, 2013, 03.27AM IST

NEW DELHI: A frail and ageing Parmeshwari Devi became the first woman to get the Aadhaar-based food security smart card from UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at the launch of the central flagship scheme seen as a route to the hearts of the electorate. But off-stage the 70-year-old was confused by the fanfare surrounding the card and indecisive about the exact benefit it entails. 

Her sentiments reflected the feelings of uncertainty and hope visible in most women brought in from slums and resettlements from around Delhi to the launch.


The 3,000-strong crowd inside the stadium clapped feebly and few joined in slogans of appreciation for the benefit. However, the hope of food security could not assuage them, and another 5,000 outside the stadium, from showing anger over water, power, poor PDS distribution system and a cap on pension scheme benefits.

In poll bound Delhi, the most critical electorate that the Congress is eying appears to be thoughtful as it struggles to register the many announcements of social welfare schemes, which include cash transfers and a stash of cards ranging from BPL, Antyodaya, jhuggi/resettlement to the new food security.

As Parmeshwari Devi, a resident of Karkardooma village in east Delhi, held out her smart card for the shutterbugs, she admitted not knowing what significance it holds. "I don't know what this means but I bless the UPA president," she said, reflecting the hope of most women who now see the "national food security card" as a passport to cheaper food grains and a better life.

Like Parmeshwari Devi, 11 other women were given smart cards. Radha Gupta sat quietly watching all the excitement around the card and held hers tightly walking with her husband. The hearing impaired and mute woman saw the card as a step towards empowerment and gesticulated that she was "satisfied".

Another beneficiary, Sarita Chaudhary from Vishwas Nagar, said that she may not be able to get full benefits of the card as all her eight family members were not yet registered due to the Aadhaar-based formalities still being underway. She was worried that if the remaining members remain unregistered, the quantity of foodgrains would come down.


4517 - 715, 670 Aadhaar numbers generated for Nagaland


715, 670 Aadhaar numbers generated for Nagaland
Staff Reporter DIMAPUR, AUG 20 (NPN)
Published on 21 Aug. 2013 12:49 AM IST

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has generated 715,670 Aadhaar numbers for Nagaland. This figure stands second to the number of Aadhaar generated in the Northeast after Tripura with 2,995,520.

The figures released by PIB in a report on August 17 last has been based on over 40.29 crore Aadhaar numbers till date.

UIDAI has reiterated that the target of 60 crore Aadhaar enrolments would be achieved by 2014. 

More than 40 crore 29 lakh Aadhaar numbers have been issued till date and the process is continuing at a healthy pace. Only in the month of July, 2013, about Two Crore Aadhaar numbers have been generated. 

NE State     Generated
Sikkim    517,704
Arunachal
Pradesh    1,848
Nagaland    715,670
Manipur    671,512
Mizoram    9,082
Tripura    2,995,520
Meghalaya    2,675
Assam    36,490

It has also announced the setting up of permanent enrolment centres in various states to enroll residents who have been either left out in earlier enrolment drives or for those who wish to update their Aadhaar data.

Recently, UIDAI also unveiled 3 new Aadhaar-Enabled Services - Authentication services using Iris, Authentication service using One Time Pin and eKYC ( Electronic-Know Your Customer) service.

4516 - Aadhaar-based website for kids - Deccan Chronicle


DC | 20th Aug 2013


Rajahmundry: Rajiv Vidya Mission, the nodal agency of ministry of HRD, has taken up Aadhaar-based info to cater to the needs of school children in the state.
On its completion, it is expected to provide multiple benefits to both student community and to the education department in dealing with various issues related to schoolchildren. As far as East Godavari is concerned, the programme was taken up covering all the children from Class I to Class X in the district. In total, 7.60 lakh students under all managements are being covered.

They include government, municipal, ZP, mandal parishad and aided schools. According to RVM sources, the programme was completed up to 81 per cent in the district covering 6.16 lakh children from the total of 7.60 lakh by August 17. The authorities geared up to complete the process by the end of August.
On coming into utilisation the website will be helpful to the authorities in different ways. Some of them are details of enrolment of dropouts, for the issue of nominal rolls of Class X students for SSC examinations without waiting for the details from concerned schools.

Rajiv Vidya Mission, East Godavari project director, V. Chakradhara Rao said that as per the directive of the district collector, official letters were issued to the authorities concerned in the mandals.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

4515 - Queue sera sera - TNN

Raghu Krishnan Aug 19, 2013, 12.00AM IST

Housemaid's knee, the only ailment which the 19th-century hypochondriac turned humorist Jerome K Jerome found he had not contracted after skimming through an encyclopedia of diseases in the British Museum, may have just got aggravated in today's Bangalore.


The other day, my housemaid Mary, who mops and sweeps various apartments including mine for a living, told me that she and her friends had, instead of putting their feet up for a well-earned rest after completing their chores, stood in a lengthy queue to collect their UIDAI Aadhaar card from the neighbourhood post office. However, when those standing in the queue finally reached the counter, they were told to come back the next day since the official tasked with identifying the would-be recipient and handing over the Aadhaar card had not turned up for work.

4514 - Now, students to get Aadhaar cards at their institutes - TNN


TNN Aug 19, 2013, 02.43AM IST

GURGAON: With the beginning of next academic session, city students will be required to have Aadhaar number for college admissions and government schemes like grants and scholarships.

On directives of the district administration, a private agency has started operating from Government PG College in Sector 14 to register both students and staff members for Aadhaar cards.

During the 15-day drive, students and staff members will be registered after submitting necessary documents. Recently, the education department had instructed all colleges to provide Aadhaar card and voter card facilities within college premises soon after completing the admission process.

The college authorities said there was a huge rush of applicants on day one. Many of them who were not aware about the mandatory documents were told to apply again. The registration process is free and college authorities can't charge any fee for the same.

Kajal Singh, a student, said, "It is good initiative as students find it hard to go to far away centres to apply for Aadhaar. Also, the presence of the faculty and staff members in schools is additional benefit as they can guide us in case of any confusion."

According to a senior official, the Aadhaar card will be a must for college admission and other government schemes from the coming academic session. Though the provision was to be implemented from this session, the admission process was carried out as many students did not possess the card. On the other hand, the education department has also appointed nodal officers for each college to process these amendments.

Meanwhile, the facility will be started in other city colleges also in coming weeks for the convenience of students and staff members.

4513 - Linking Aadhaar with banks deferred; Full enrollment in Karnataka by 2014 - Deccan Chrionicle


DC | 24th Aug 2013


Bengaluru: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and Centre for e-Governance, Karnataka have agreed to defer the deadline for linking Provident Fund (PF) accounts with Aadhaar numbers.

Lakhs of employed persons in Bengaluru were in a fix after the Employees’ Provident Fund made the Aadhaar card mandatory for having a PF account. The Karnataka & Goa Region of EPFO had issued a notification to employers to submit the Aadhaar cards of their employees by June 30, 2013. But very few employees have an Aadhaar card.

“After discussions with the UIDAI, the EPFO has relaxed the deadline and has not fixed a new one, while the Government of Karnataka has set itself a target of March 2014 for enrolment of all residents of Karnataka for Aadhaar,” said a senior official in UIDAI.

To achieve the target, the GoK, which is the registrar for the UIDAI in Karnataka, has opened new enrolment centres. A call centre and the facility to schedule appointments for enrolment have made enrolment easier.
The appointment-based enrolment centres have helped working professionals who are not willing to wait in long queues and waste time. The UIDAI official quoted above said that this has been a popular move. 

Bangalore has 10 model Aadhaar enrolment centres, seven appointment-based enrolment centres, a call centre and e Aadhaar services. Around 65% of Bangaloreans have been enrolled till August 23, 2013. Aadhaar numbers have been generated for 55% of the population. Some 27,114,336 people in Karnataka have been enrolled, making it the fifth highest enrolment among states.

4512 - Aadhaar centre laptops stolen - Deccan Chronicle


DC | 10 hours 50 min ago
  
Hyderabad: Thieves entered an Aadhaar Centre in the Gram Panchayat, Shamshabad, and scooted with laptops used by the authorities to enrol and save the details of the applicants.

The thieves also took away batteries and chargers that were lying there. The operators, who noticed that the Centre was open and things fallen out of place, later realised what happened.

According to sources, the authorities at the centre near the airport, reportedly left for dinner on Friday night after they bolted the door.

At 9.30 pm, operator Raju had bolted the main door and left for dinner at a nearby place. When he returned at 11 pm, he found that the door was opened and two laptops, batteries and chargers were missing.

Jayaram, the detective-inspector airport police, said, “We have received a complaint and a case has been registered. The security lapses are observed here. The centre also has a window which has glass doors, even that was opened. We have examined the spot and an effort to trace the accused is on. The motive behind the theft is purely for material benefit.”

Based on the complaint, a case has been registered and the cops have started the investigation. The Unique Identification Authority of India official, meanwhile, assured that there is nothing to panic regarding the stolen laptops and the data in it as the accused can’t get access to it by any chance, since it has an official code.


M.V.S. Rami Reddy deputy director general, regional office Hyderabad said, “After every packet, the data collected will be encrypted immediately and there is a logical code to each. Unless we give the code, one cannot get an access to the data. So, there is no fear of losing or tampering the data in the system. The data is automatically saved.”

4511 - Confusion over Aadhaar deadline - Deccan Chronicle


DC | L. Venkat Ram Reddy | 11 hours 18 min ago


Hyderabad: The statement by the Centre, in Rajya Sabha, on Friday, that Aadhaar is not a must to avail government subsidies, including domestic LPG, has led to utter confusion among consumers, LPG suppliers Oil Marketing Companies.

With just a week to go, to meet the August 31 deadline, for the Aadhaar-LPG linkage, to avail of the gas subsidy in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts, the process has been going on at a brisk pace. However, the announcement by the Union minister of state for planning Rajeev Shukla in Rajya Sabha that Aadhaar will not be linked with DBT schemes to avail of government subsidies, has created several doubts among the consumers and gas agencies.

The gas suppliers made it clear that they will stick to the August 31 deadline, since they have not received any communication from OMCs, with regard to Aadhaar relaxation. They said the cylinders will be sold at the market price of Rs 960 from September 1 and those with Aadhaar linkage will receive the subsidy directly into their bank accounts.

“We came to know about Aadhaar relaxation through the media. We have not received any communication from the OMCs over not to implement Aadhaar-linked DBT from September 1. We will issue bills for price of Rs 960 only from September 1,” said D. Ashok Kumar, president, Greater Hyderabad LPG Dealers’ Association.

4510 - Govt. agencies can make Aadhaar mandatory in future, says Nilekani - The Hindu


MUMBAI, August 20, 2013
STAFF REPORTER

While the Aadhaar card has not yet been made mandatory for citizens of India, government agencies in future can make it compulsory for availing benefits from their pro-people schemes.

“If a certain authority feels that the beneficiaries of a particular scheme need to possess Aadhar cards, they can make it mandatory for them for that particular scheme,” said Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, Unique Identification Authority of India, on Monday here.

Mr. Nilekani said that the authority cannot make it mandatory for the citizens of India, but hinted that it is up to various agencies which implement the schemes or provide subsidies. According to him, the agencies could range from state governments to various central ministries.

Mr. Nilekani was speaking after conducting a day-long e-Know You Customer (e-KYC) workshop by UIDAI for on-boarding service providers here.

According to Mr. Nilekani, the decision will be solely taken by that particular department or state government. “In a scheme like subsidy on LPG connections, if the concerned ministry finds it necessary, it can take thedecision of making Aadhaara mandatory document,” he said. However, he made it clear that there is no such proposal in his knowledge at present. The UIDAI till now has issued Aadhaar cards to more than 40 crore residents of India.

Aadhaar has already been notified as an officially valid document. In addition, the UIDAI has designed the e-KYC service, whereby the same can be furnished electronically.

Through the process of Aadhaar authentication, the resident can authorise UIDAI to release their KYC data to a service provider, either in person or online. Only upon successful authentication of the resident, the UIDAI will provide the name of the resident, address, date of birth, gender and photograph to the service provider.

4509 - The most elusive number - The Hindu


CHENNAI, August 24, 2013

T. S. ATUL SWAMINATHAN

If you have successfully got your Aadhaar card, pat yourselves on your back for it is a great achievement. The entire city seems to be boggled by the haphazard process. So much so that public charitable trusts such as Citizen’s Guardians' have submitted a petition to The Directorate of Census, Tamil Nadu, Ministry of Home Affairs, regarding the improper planning in distribution of the Aadhaar card.

While appreciating the move initiated by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the trust has pinpointed certain loopholes in issuing National Population Register (NPR) forms to members of the public not enumerated in Census 2011.

V. Ravichandran, founder-chairman, Citizens’ Guardians’, says, “The responsibility of issuing Aadhaar card was entrusted to the Chennai Corporation. But till date, the Zonal offices of the Corporation have not furnished any details regarding the process of obtaining the card.”
“Utter confusion prevails over the procedure. There is no systematic planning and execution. We don’t know when or where the camps will be conducted” M. Kumar, a resident of Vadapalani said.

The Census Department has not done a proper enumeration in 2011. Most citizens do not have the acknowledgement slips, they added.

The National Population Register and UIDAI should press the Chennai Corporation to make an announcement on which date, and for which wards the process for enrolment of Aadhaar would be conducted to avoid over-crowding, Mr. Ravichandran said.

M.R.V. Krishna Rao, joint director, Directorate of Census Operations, said, “In Tamil Nadu, an Aadhaar number can be obtained by registering under NPR. It is the first step in the preparation of National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC). It is compulsory to register under NPR.”

He explains the process. Persons, who are residing in a particular place for more than six months and a person, going to reside in a particular place, for over six months should register under NPR. A Census acknowledgement slip given to each household should be furnished at the time of enrolment camps.

As part of the biometric enrolment process, EPIC number, Passport number and Ration Card Number should be filled in the intimation slip (KYR + Form) for additional data fields.

The Know Your Residence + Form, containing details of the camp date, venue and time, will be distributed to the households covered during the house-listing operations before the commencement of camps.

If a household has not been covered during the Census or the household members have settled in the area after Census, a new NPR form will be given at the camp to be filled up, and should be submitted to the government officials at the camp.

People who have shifted residences after being enumerated in the Census can get enrolled in the area where they were enumerated by showing their NPR acknowledgement slip.

Residents who have missed the first phase can get enrolled in the second. If they miss the second phase, a camp will be held at the zonal office. From October, permanent NPR centres at the Zonal offices, Chennai Corporation and Chennai District Collector Office would be set up.

4508 - बैंक अकाउंट के लिए आधार कार्ड जरूरी नहीं - NavBharat Times


नवभारत टाइम्स | Aug 10, 2013, 01.20AM IST
नई दिल्ली।। सरकार का कहना है कि बैंक अकाउंट खुलवाने, स्कूल में ऐडमिशन और पासपोर्ट जैसी सेवाओं के लिए आधार कार्ड जरूरी नहीं है।

सरकार की ओर से यह बात गुरुवार को संसदीय कार्य राज्यमंत्री राजीव शुक्ला ने एक सवाल के जवाब में राज्यसभा में कही। उन्होंने कहा कि घरेलू गैस पर मिलने वाली सब्सिडी का फायदा उठाने के लिए संबंधित इलाके में डायरेक्ट बेनेफिट ट्रांसफर योजना के लागू होने के तीन महीने के भीतर आधार नंबर के साथ बैंक अकाउंट नंबर देना जरूरी होगा।


इस योजना को अभी देश के 20 जिलों में लागू किया गया है। शुक्ला ने बताया कि बाजार रेट पर एलपीजी सिलिंडर लेने के लिए आधार कार्ड की जरूरत नहीं है। उन्होंने बताया कि इस साल 26 जुलाई तक 39.36 करोड़ लोगों के आधार कार्ड बनाए जा चुके हैं। दिल्ली में ऐसे लोगों की संख्या 1.44 करोड़ है।

Saturday, August 24, 2013

4507 - 400 Million Aadhaar Cards Issued to date


Business Standard
The government on Saturday said the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) had issued 400 million Aadhaar numbers till date and the body would ...


Livemint
About 20 million Aadhaar numbers were generated in the month of July. ... issued more than 402.9 million Aadhaar numbers till date and the body will achieve ...


Financial Express
"UIDAI has reiterated that the target of 60 crore Aadhaar enrolments will be achieved by 2014. More than 40 crore 29 lakh Aadhaar numbers have been issued ...


The New Indian Express
More than 40 crore people in India have been given Aadhaar unique identification numbers. By the end of 2014, the number of is expected to reach 60 crore, the ...

4506 - 'UIDAI has issued 400 mn Aadhaar numbers till date'- Business Standard

Press Trust Of India  |  New Delhi  August 17, 2013 Last Updated at 22:09 IST

'UIDAI has issued 400 mn Aadhaar numbers till date'

The government on Saturday said the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) had issued 400 million Aadhaar numbers till date and the body would achieve the target 600 million enrollments by 2014.

According to the release, only in July, twenty million Aadhaar numbers had been generated.

The authority has also announced the setting up of permanent enrolment centres in various states to enroll residents who have been either left out in earlier enrolment drives or for those who wish to update their data.

"Nearly seven months after the launch of Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT), the government has allocated about Rs 250 crore on various welfare programmes and made around 32 lakh payments through Aadhaar Payment Bridge," the statement said.

Aadhaar Enabled Service Delivery is linked to various government schemes such as scholarship, pension scheme, dhanalaxmi, janani suraksha yojana, payment of social security benefits such as old-age payments, distribution of LPG subsidy etc.

The DBT is now being implemented in 28 schemes across 121 districts and soon a review meeting will be done to take stock of its progress and to expand it in other schemes and the remaining districts of the country, it added.