Navjeevan Gopal
Posted: Fri Jun 24 2011, 03:29 hrs
Bathinda:
Bathinda:
Firm denies wrongdoing, authority says need to examine whether violations have taken place
An empanelled enrolment agency of Unique Identification Authority of India may have violated the norms laid down by the authority and given collection of sensitive data from residents of Bathinda district to other firms.
Sources alleged Alankit Finsec Ltd, which is the empanelled agency for the demographic and biometric data collection for the 12-digit unique number Aadhaar, had given the work for Bathinda district to a person named Nitin Singla, who in turn sub-contracted it to some other local people.
As per the contract between Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department, the registrar in the contract, and Alankit Finsec Ltd, the agency was to be paid Rs 30 per enrolment but sources alleged Alankit had outsourced it to Singla for Rs 14, who further sub-contracted it for cheaper rates to others.
But Singla denied the allegations and claimed he worked as a area manager with Alankit Finsec Ltd. “I am an employee of Alankit Finsec Ltd and no work has been outsourced by the agency nor it has been outsourced to me by the agency,” Singla claimed.
UIDAI pays Rs 50 to state government for every enrolment and leaves it to the state to decide on selecting the enrolment agency.
UIDAI Deputy Director General (Establishment) D Kumar maintained that as per the norms no outsourcing can be allowed. “But whether any violation has taken place is to be first seen by the registrar (Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department) and by our office in Chandigarh,” he said
An empanelled enrolment agency of Unique Identification Authority of India may have violated the norms laid down by the authority and given collection of sensitive data from residents of Bathinda district to other firms.
Sources alleged Alankit Finsec Ltd, which is the empanelled agency for the demographic and biometric data collection for the 12-digit unique number Aadhaar, had given the work for Bathinda district to a person named Nitin Singla, who in turn sub-contracted it to some other local people.
As per the contract between Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department, the registrar in the contract, and Alankit Finsec Ltd, the agency was to be paid Rs 30 per enrolment but sources alleged Alankit had outsourced it to Singla for Rs 14, who further sub-contracted it for cheaper rates to others.
But Singla denied the allegations and claimed he worked as a area manager with Alankit Finsec Ltd. “I am an employee of Alankit Finsec Ltd and no work has been outsourced by the agency nor it has been outsourced to me by the agency,” Singla claimed.
UIDAI pays Rs 50 to state government for every enrolment and leaves it to the state to decide on selecting the enrolment agency.
UIDAI Deputy Director General (Establishment) D Kumar maintained that as per the norms no outsourcing can be allowed. “But whether any violation has taken place is to be first seen by the registrar (Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department) and by our office in Chandigarh,” he said
Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Director Alk Nanda Dyal said she would examine the matter. “I would go through the guidelines and examine the matter,” she said.
UIDAI Assistant Director General in Chandigarh, Charu Bali, said, “I am not sure whether it is a violation or not. It is a policy matter and officials from head office can better speak on this. It is, however, not practically possible for the enrolment agency to have all the required manpower on the company rolls. There are certain liberties to enrolment agencies and to certain extent the agencies can outsource manpower.”
However, the guidelines for selecting the enrolment agency in the Request for Quotation (RFQ) in the official website of UIDAI categorically states: “The supplier (read enrolment agency) shall not be permitted to sub-contract any part of its obligations, duties, or responsibilities under the contract.”
In Bokhra village, one Kunal Sharma, who claims to be a partner with Softel Systems, said they had been given the work to collect the data by Nitin Singla.
“We have been provided the equipment and are being paid Rs 9 per card for collecting the details,” Sharma told The Indian Express.
But Singla refuted Sharma’s claims and said he was also an employee of Alankit. “Only he (Kunal Sharma) knows why he said so (that work was outsourced to Softel Systems for Rs 9 per card),” he said.
Alankit, on its part, has claimed that there was nothing wrong in outsourcing work. “We are operating in 10 states of India. We cannot hire operators and manpower for the company in the each and every part. There is no bar in outsourcing the job to arrange the manpower for us. The equipments for carrying the job have been provided by us. Moreover, the salaries to the manpower are being paid by us,” Viney Chawla, company secretary of Alankit, said.
UIDAI Assistant Director General in Chandigarh, Charu Bali, said, “I am not sure whether it is a violation or not. It is a policy matter and officials from head office can better speak on this. It is, however, not practically possible for the enrolment agency to have all the required manpower on the company rolls. There are certain liberties to enrolment agencies and to certain extent the agencies can outsource manpower.”
However, the guidelines for selecting the enrolment agency in the Request for Quotation (RFQ) in the official website of UIDAI categorically states: “The supplier (read enrolment agency) shall not be permitted to sub-contract any part of its obligations, duties, or responsibilities under the contract.”
In Bokhra village, one Kunal Sharma, who claims to be a partner with Softel Systems, said they had been given the work to collect the data by Nitin Singla.
“We have been provided the equipment and are being paid Rs 9 per card for collecting the details,” Sharma told The Indian Express.
But Singla refuted Sharma’s claims and said he was also an employee of Alankit. “Only he (Kunal Sharma) knows why he said so (that work was outsourced to Softel Systems for Rs 9 per card),” he said.
Alankit, on its part, has claimed that there was nothing wrong in outsourcing work. “We are operating in 10 states of India. We cannot hire operators and manpower for the company in the each and every part. There is no bar in outsourcing the job to arrange the manpower for us. The equipments for carrying the job have been provided by us. Moreover, the salaries to the manpower are being paid by us,” Viney Chawla, company secretary of Alankit, said.
On whether the agency complied with guidelines related to labour laws, provident fund and minimum wages while utilising the services of such manpower, Chawla said, “It is the responsibility of the manpower provider.”
Probe in Muktsar
Sources said following a complaint that “behaviour of operators was not resident friendly”, the UIDAI has initiated a probe in Muktsar district. Sources alleged that the enrolment agency, which is collecting the demographic and biometric data of residents in Muktsar, is also an Alankit group company. “Yes, there is a complaint that residents are not able to talk to officials of enrolment agency in Muktsar and are not being guided properly. We are looking into the complaint,” Bali said.
Probe in Muktsar
Sources said following a complaint that “behaviour of operators was not resident friendly”, the UIDAI has initiated a probe in Muktsar district. Sources alleged that the enrolment agency, which is collecting the demographic and biometric data of residents in Muktsar, is also an Alankit group company. “Yes, there is a complaint that residents are not able to talk to officials of enrolment agency in Muktsar and are not being guided properly. We are looking into the complaint,” Bali said.
