TNN | Mar 3, 2013, 02.35 AM IST
JAIPUR: With the Rajasthan government linking several of its schemes to the UID (Aadhaar) card, the rush at enrollment counters has peaked. The machines are proving to be insufficient even as the state government has made it mandatory for the employees to have the Unique Identification (UID) number and linked their salaries with it.
Till Monday, a total of 1.65 crore enrollments were completed in the state while 1.41 cr UID numbers were issued. On a daily basis, more than one lakh people are turning up at the camps for registration. However, only 2,000 machines are in use with an average registration of 50 persons per machine each day.
The booths at SMS hospital and Jaipur Municipal Corporation witness a heavy rush daily with many being turned back by the registrars (agency engaged in gathering data for UID). "I am visiting the registration booth for the past eight days but still have not been able to get UID registration done," said Manak Agarwal, a businessman from Pratap Nagar.
Kavita Bisht, a 70-year-old woman, shared the same sentiments. "There are no separate queues for senior citizens. At the post office they are just giving forms and asking everyone to come in the first week of March. In the morning I went to JDA but there they have closed their operations," said Bisht, who visited the camp at Malviya Nagar post office.
The state government employees are the most worried lot as the government made it mandatory for them to have their UID card. Earlier the roll out was planned from March but due to the shortage of machines, the deadline has now been extended to April.
According to sources, 11 schemes of the Union government and four services of state government will be offered through UID.
The government claims that it has pressed all its stations into action which are with full force. "There will be some challenges when you are engaged in such a largescale project. But we have ironed out most of the troubles. A total of 11 registrars are operating in the state and we are enrolling almost 1 lakh people every day. But agencies are facing shortage of trained manpower. The UIDAI have made stringent norms for enrollment which we have to follow." said a senior official.
HOW TO GO ABOUT AADHAAR
To find the nearest enrolment centre or location, log on to http://aadhaar.rajasthan.gov.in/SearchCenter.aspx
To know about Aadhaar status: http://portal.uidai.gov.in/ResidentPortal
To print Aadhaar letter online: http://eaadhaar.uidai.gov.in
To update Aadhaar particulars (name/address/age) https://uidai.gov.in/ResidentialPortal