Author: Nivedita K G | ENS
- Published Date: Mar 2, 2013 9:19 AM
- Last Updated: Mar 2, 2013 9:19 AM
Most people said the government should open more centres in the city so that the process of getting an Aadhaar does not turn into a nightmare.
With the government making it mandatory to possess an Aadhaar card, the queues at Aadhaar centres, albeit not commensurate with the demographics, has been growing as big as Lord Hanuman’s tail. People standing in long queues with the required documents along with an application form is a common scene in most of the centres. The citizens’ main grouse was that there were not enough centres or counters or even manpower to manage the surging crowds as well as help the people to complete the formalities. Most people said the government should open more centres in the city so that the process of getting an Aadhaar does not turn into a nightmare.
When City Express interacted with Ashok Dalwai, Deputy Director General and Kishan Kumar Sharma, Assistant Director General of UiDAI, Bangalore with respect to the problems people face at the centres, they spoke at length about the increase in number of centres, about the errors committed in the card and others.
Speaking about the increase in number of counters in the city, Kishan said, “Attempts are being made to ramp up the capacity to cope with the demand for enrolment within Bangalore. As of now, approximately 300 enrolment stations have been deployed. The attempt is to increase the number to 600. Centre for E-Governance, Government of Karnataka is the nodal department for Aadhaar project.”
When asked if the requirements are made flexible in the recent times, Ashok added, “Enrolment of residents and generation of Aadhaar is subject to certain standard operating procedures which include provision of a valid proof of identity and address. Capture of biometric data is an intrinsic component of Aadhaar generation. It would thus, not be possible to dispense with these requirements.”
People in the city have been complaining about the errors in the card and this has led them to question the credibility of the card. “It is acknowledged that there are instances of errors in data capture. In order to avoid and minimise such incidents, UIDAI has a quality control system which includes 100 per cent check of data after upload as well as end of day check by supervisors. However, the first point of check has to be at the time of enrolment itself. Every resident is advised to personally check the details captured by the data entry operator before the enrolment is completed. This is facilitated by providing an additional monitor (screen) for the resident. Further, the information in the consent slip needs to be read by the resident carefully before he or she signs it and returns it to the operator. The resident can also make changes to the enrolment data within 96 hours of enrolment,” explained Ashok.
Inappropriate behaviour by the authorities in the counters have also been brought to the notice of the authorities. “Physical comfort and courteous treatment of the residents are emphasised time and again by UIDAI. However, instances of inappropriate behaviour at the enrolment stations have come to note and whenever, such instances do occur, it is taken up with the concerned agency,” Kishan signed off.
The 12-unique numbers
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) established in 2009 aims to provide a unique id number in order to maintain a database of residents containing biometric and other data. UIDAI, an agency of government of India which is responsible for implementing the unique identification project, came up with a project to issue the 12-digit unique number to all the residents of India. This number will be stored in a centralised database and linked to the basic demographics and biometric information of every individual. Another aim of the UIDAI is to address the issue of illegal immigration into the country and terrorist threats.
UIDAI launched Aadhaar programme in the tribal village, Tembhli, in Shahada, Maharashtra on 29 September 2010. The unique identification number promises to provide effective governance, besides providing identity. This will also facilitate entry for poor and underprivileged residents into the formal banking system and also ensures the easy distribution of benefits of government schemes.
