Nisha Nambiar,
Posted May 14th, 2011
Pune
In a unique initiative, the state government has offered an incentive to its employees for enrolling more residents for the Unique Identification Number scheme. This is according to a government resolution issued on April 11 which states that it will pay 25 paisa per enrollment to its employees working in the taluka and municipal areas who are engaged in the enrollment work for Aadhar.
A senior officer in charge of the UID project in the state said the incentive has come after the state in its tendering process was able to fix the rate of enrollment at Rs 40 per card from the 13 agencies roped in for UID project in the state. “The central government gives the state government Rs 50 per enrollment for each card. We at the state level have been able to get it at Rs 40 and the extra Rs 10 saved_ will have the state government keep Rs 5 while the remaining Rs 5 will be given to the respective collectors and the municipal commissioners for each district where the collector /municipal commissioner in the rural and city areas is free to decide on the incentive to be given to tehsildars or other officers to carry out the process,''said the officer.
A senior officer in charge of the UID project in the state said the incentive has come after the state in its tendering process was able to fix the rate of enrollment at Rs 40 per card from the 13 agencies roped in for UID project in the state. “The central government gives the state government Rs 50 per enrollment for each card. We at the state level have been able to get it at Rs 40 and the extra Rs 10 saved_ will have the state government keep Rs 5 while the remaining Rs 5 will be given to the respective collectors and the municipal commissioners for each district where the collector /municipal commissioner in the rural and city areas is free to decide on the incentive to be given to tehsildars or other officers to carry out the process,''said the officer.
None of the officers have yet got any incentive and it would be doled out in June.The officer stated that the discretion will be on the collector and the municipal commissioer after proper assessment of the work completed under the UID project. "We are getting enough funds for the project and we want to speed up the process so that we can meet the 2012 deadline,''added the officer.
Meanwhile the state government has received Rs 31 crore to be given to BPL families for participating in the UID drive. The state has registered 50 lakh under this drive and nearly 9 lakh have received the UID cards.
This incentive would be derived from the Rs5 per UID number provided to the district collectors and municipal commissioners in the state. The balance Rs4.75 would be spent on daily expenses incurred for items like electricity, maintenance of the enrolment centre as well as travelling and daily allowances and training and seminar expenses.
The GR also mentions that the union government has sanctioned Rs50 per UID number for enrolling the first 20 crore residents for the Aadhaar project by March 2012. The incentive of 25 paisa per UID number would effectively be paid out of this amount.
According to some residents, incentives need not be paid for a drive which is carried out in the country. "It is a duty which falls in their purview of the departments and there is no need of such incentive and how will it be assessed,''questions Seema Naik, a resident from Bibwewadi area who is yet to get her UID card. However, some government employees under condition of anonymity feels that since it is under the discretion of the collector, the incentive may never really reach them.
This incentive would be derived from the Rs5 per UID number provided to the district collectors and municipal commissioners in the state. The balance Rs4.75 would be spent on daily expenses incurred for items like electricity, maintenance of the enrolment centre as well as travelling and daily allowances and training and seminar expenses.
The GR also mentions that the union government has sanctioned Rs50 per UID number for enrolling the first 20 crore residents for the Aadhaar project by March 2012. The incentive of 25 paisa per UID number would effectively be paid out of this amount.
According to some residents, incentives need not be paid for a drive which is carried out in the country. "It is a duty which falls in their purview of the departments and there is no need of such incentive and how will it be assessed,''questions Seema Naik, a resident from Bibwewadi area who is yet to get her UID card. However, some government employees under condition of anonymity feels that since it is under the discretion of the collector, the incentive may never really reach them.