3357 - For direct benefit in 2014, govt gets cracking on cash transfers - DNA

For direct benefit in 2014, govt gets cracking on cash transfers

Wednesday, May 29, 2013, 10:07 IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA

Manan Kumar  

Low on the credibility front, thanks to various scams, the Congress led UPA government has got into a tearing hurry to push Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme and keep its hope alive for a comeback in next general elections.

The government wants to rollout DBT scheme in all the 78 target districts of Phase II from July 1 so that it can have enough lead time before general elections to drum up its success in the rest of the country. Top on its target are 13 key districts of UP, Bihar and Gujarat.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), monitoring the DBT scheme almost on a day-to-day basis, has tasked the Office of Registrar General of India (RGI) and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to go cracking and get the list of all the beneficiaries of various DBT schemes of targeted districts directly from the district authorities and registrars first and leave rest of the work of enrolling others and digitalizing their data etc. for a later date.

District commissioner of a target district told dna that he is witnessing unprecedented scaled up alacrity from Delhi for past 15-20 days and has been asked to provide details of the camps organised, day to day enrolment progress and updated list of beneficiaries in different DBT schemes. 

“This is for the first time in my career I have witnessed such hectic activity monitored directly the central government. But the task seems very tough as we have no clue how the Centre would ensure proper seeding of beneficiaries with Aaadhaar number, do de-duplication of enrolled beneficiaries, open their bank accounts and seed it again with Aadhaar and ensure right payment to the right beneficiary in all the 26 DBT schemes. It’s a tall order and needs more time and better logistics,” said the commissioner.

The idea is that a success of “Aap Ka Paisa App Ke Haath” in these key districts can spread the word across the country and change the fortune of Congress party, a Congress party insider said.

So strong is the conviction of succeeding through DBT that the party has belied words of caution from various stakeholders including banks and some government officials. They have raised objections, including security concerns, regarding bulk seeding of beneficiaries’ accounts with  Aadhaar numbers. 

“The government does not seem to be in a mood to listen. It is looking at the DBT scheme as a panacea for all the ills it has got. Like MNREGA, the mantra of 2009 success, it is banking upon DBT to succeed in 2014,” said sources.

An example government’s “tearing hurry” could be seen through Petroleum ministry’s recent announcement of launching of DBT for LPG scheme in 20 districts.

Even though the homework of generating Aadhaar numbers and seeding them with bank accounts of the beneficiaries has not been done, an eager ministry has put the onus on LPG consumers to immediately get an Aadhaar number, open a bank account with it and provide the number to LPG distributors.

What next
The government wants to rollout DBT scheme in all the 78 target districts of Phase II from July 1 so that it can have enough lead time before general elections to drum up its success in the rest of the country.

Top on its target are 13 key districts of UP, Bihar and Gujarat.

The PMO is monitoring the DBT scheme on a day-to-day basis.

3356 - Wardha to be 1st district in Maharashtra for LPG cash transfer - Business Standard

Press Trust of India  |  Mumbai  May 28, 2013 Last Updated at 22:39 IST

Wardha to be 1st district in Maharashtra for LPG cash transfer

Wardha will be the first district in Maharshtra, where the pilot project of direct transfer of subsidies of nine LPG cyclinders per year in the bank account of beneficiaries will take off on June 1.

Addressing a press conference, state's Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anil Deshmukh said Wardha is among the 20 districts in the country to be chosen by the Centre for the gas subsidy since the Aadhar card enrolment in Maharashtra was the highest in Wardha.

"Citizens, who have got Aadhar card linked to their bank accounts can avail the subsidies," he said.

In Wardha, there are 2,16,404 LPG connections and 80 per cent of the consumers have opened bank accounts and 70 per cent have Aadhar cards, out of which 40 per cent of the consumers have linked their aadhar card to the bank account.

He said those who have not linked their Aadhar card to bank accounts have been given three months to do so.

The pilot project would be extended to other districts after analysing the implementation of the project in Wardha.

APL ration card holders will now get 15 kg food grains instead of eight kg per card.

Under the proposed Food Security Act, 80 per cent rural and 60 to 65 per cent urban population with annual income up to Rs 1 lakh will be benefitted.

3355 - UID will result in loss of freedoms: WikiLeaks backer - The Hindu

UID will result in loss of freedoms: WikiLeaks backer

17 hours ago , By V. Sridhar | 6 comments 

Computer security expert , Jacob Appelbaum at a talk in 

TERI complex in Bangalore on Tuesday. 

Photo : K . Bhagya Prakash

The establishment of a centralised database of Indian citizens such as the Unique Identification (UID) project will result in the loss of freedoms on a “societal scale,” according to Jacob Appelbaum, a staunch supporter of the WikiLeaks project.

Addressing a small gathering of hacking enthusiasts here late on Tuesday, Mr. Appelbaum, an associate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, said he was “horrified” by the establishment in India of the Central Monitoring System (CMS), which was being used to gather a diverse range of analogue and digital information, including telephone records, text messages and Internet traffic. “We live in the golden age of surveillance,” said Mr. Appelbaum, a U.S. citizen who has been detained by U.S. law-enforcement agencies on at least a dozen occasions.

“The problem with the Unique Identification (UID) system or the CMS is not that it will not be perfect,” but the fact that it would result in people being forced to “behave differently” because they would be under surveillance or have to live in fear of it. “This amounts to a loss of freedom,” he argued. “To watch is to control, and surveillance is a kind of control.”

Warning of the possibilities of data theft, Mr. Appelbaum said that though “fingerprint lifting may appear far-fetched now,” techniques for enabling “transferable fingerprints” were being discussed in the public realm. Iris scans, he told The Hindu, were also “far from being foolproof.”

“These are things that deserve resistance, not protest, because protest happens when you do not go along with something,” he said. “Resistance, on the other hand, happens when you stop others from going along.” “I also think we need to build alternatives to these systems.”

Though he conceded that there might be a need for citizen identification systems in society, he argued that centralising them posed grave dangers to the freedom of citizens. “When we centralise the collection of information, we actually centralise the place that an attacker would like to attack to gain control of society,” Mr. Appelbaum said.

The “intentions” of those in authority do not matter because “general purpose information systems” were difficult to protect. “We can try, but there is a threshold of attack, where someone will probably win.” “If there are valid concerns of national security, espionage or terrorism, does it make sense to make a centralised system with all the records of usage of phones, Internet browsing, emails, fingerprints?” “Doing this may result in losses on a societal scale,” he said.

Mr. Appelbaum, co-author, with Mr. Assange, of Cypherpunks: Freedom and the future of the Internet, said “dragnet surveillance” systems amounted to “a tyranny of sorts.”

Example from Nazi Germany

Arguing against the notion that technology is benign, Mr. Appelbaum recalled the use of punching card technologies deployed by the Nazi regime in Germany to target Jews, Communists and others social groups. The machines enabled the regime to determine how many Jews or Communists lived in a particular residential block, he said. “We can understand from the past what possibilities exist in the future for surveillance,” he said. “In fact, when people suggest that surveillance causes no harm, they are denying history.”

He recalled the “Athens Incident” of 2004, when the telephone switches leading to the Prime Minister and a number of Greek parliamentarians were subjected to wiretapping with “interception systems.” He pointed out that telephone-switching standards established in the U.S. were mimicked all over the world. “There is a trickledown effect in all this. So, Greece gets them [interception systems] just the same way as Iran gets them, and just about the way the U.S. has them,” Mr. Appelbaum said.

“The theory goes that the FBI [the Federal Bureau of Investigation], which is legitimate, goes to a court and never abuses its authority, and so everything is fine.” But the “backdoors” built into these switches made them vulnerable to anyone who might have access to the switch through a computer network.

Internet freedom

“In theory, the Internet allows us to be free, but the fact that almost by default, the Internet is not secure implies a breakdown of this freedom,” Mr. Appelbaum said. “This results in a strange situation: people have the freedom to communicate and say what they want, but does the surveillance actually allow them to be free?”

An expert hacker, Mr. Appelbaum said: “Technology is quite boring, when compared with the richness of societies.” Urging the audience to read his book, he said: “You have my blessings to download it from Pirate Bay.”

3354 - Aruna Roy opts out of Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council - IBN Live

Aruna Roy opts out of Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council

Rupashree Nanda, CNN-IBN | Posted on May 28, 2013 at 09:26pm IST

New Delhi: The notification issued by the Prime Minister's Office on May 27 to extend the terms of members of Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council has one prominent name missing from the list - that of Aruna Roy. The terms of the ten other members has been extended for a period "co-terminus" with the term of the present Government.

Professor Virginius Xaxa of the Delhi School of Economics is the new member in the Council.

Even though Aruna Roy had written to Congress President Sonia Gandhi requesting her not to extend her term, her absence will raise eyebrows.

Even though Roy had written to Sonia requesting her not to extend her term, her absence will raise eyebrows.

Roy had played a critical role in pushing through the RTI and MNREGS in NAC I. 

During her current tenure, she has been an outspoken critic of the government's "game-changing" UID and the Direct Cash Transfer schemes.

In recent times, there also has been a feeling that Sonia Gandhi's National Advisory Council did not enjoy the clout with the Government as it once did. The other member who had decided to opt out is Jean Dreze.

Narendra Jadhav, NC Saxena, Anu Agha, Pramod Tandon, AK Shiv Kumar, Deep Doshi, Farah Naqvi, Mirai Chatterjee, Mihir Shah, and Ashish Mondol continue to be members.

3353 - Public in a fix for want of Aadhaar cards - New Indian Express

Public in a fix for want of Aadhaar cards

By Shalet Jimmy - KOCHI

28th May 2013 11:17 AM

Sunil Sudhakaran could apply for an education grant if he get his  Aadhaar card number. It is made mandatory for the process. But to his shock,  though he had already applied for it months back, he did not receive it yet and hence couldn’t avail himself of the grant.

This is not an isolated event. Many similar cases where people find their  requests for assistance stuck in red tape for want of Aadhaar card or UID are being reported. According to sources, around two lakh Aadhaar cards have piled up at various post offices across the district.

Besides educational grants, Aadhaar card has become a prerequisite for various pension schemes like Social Security Pensions. From July onwards, the subsidies given for LPG will be made online and the Aadhaar card will play a huge role for availing the subsidies.

Pregnant women will find themselves in a soup as they will not be able to garner various financial assistance provided by the government without an Aadhaar card. Besides, the Education Department has made Aadhaar cards mandatory for students too.

Realising the gravity of the situation, many people come to the post office to collect their cards from the pile. “But, not all can frequent the post office and search their cards. Primarily, it is a Herculean task both for the public and the Postal Department. And, many are still unaware that they could check with the post office for their cards,” they said.

However, K M Ebrahim, assistant district coordinator, Akshaya Kendra Ernakulam, said there is a provision for getting Aadhaar card online. “Most of them are totally unaware that what they require is a unique identification number. They can get it from the website http://uidai.gov.in/

They have to search for e-Aadhaar link. It will ask for the applicant’s phone number to verify. After verification, a one-time password will be allotted and the applicant can down load the Aaadhaar card,” he said. Any Akshaya centre will help to download the Aadhaar card, he added.

What PO says

Though the Postal Department is doing everything possible, the dearth of postmen has affected its distribution of the cards. “We are doing everything possible to dispense of the cards,” said an employee with the Postal Department.

Meanwhile, they added that the situation aggravated when people, reacting to reports that appeared in dailies about the accumulation of Aadhar cards in post offices.

“Many protested against it by scooping away several cards from the pile because of which many cards were lost,” they said.

3352 - CM seeks Nilekani’s intervention to clear obstacles in UID cash transfer - INDIAN EXPRESS

CM seeks Nilekani’s intervention to clear obstacles in UID cash transfer

Prashant : New Delhi, Tue May 28 2013, 01:14 hrs

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday sought Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) chairman Nandan Nilekani's intervention in overcoming obstacles in opening accounts in banks, which the government maintained, had not rendered active cooperation. Dikshit said she also plans to write a letter to the Union Finance Minister in this regard shortly.

Following a meeting with Nilekani, Dikshit said the government was keen on increasing the number of beneficiaries under the Aadhaar-based direct cash transfers. "We hope to increase intended beneficiaries in Delhi to at least 30 lakh but there are still obstacles in opening bank accounts. This results in difficulties for beneficiaries," Dikshit said.

The Delhi government hopes to include more beneficiaries under Delhi Annashri Yojana and Delhi Kerosene-Free Scheme. "Along with this, we also hope to include eligible citizens under building construction workers welfare fund, school children, pensioners, widows and handicapped categories in the ambit of the Aadhaar Based Direct Cash Transfer," Dikshit said.

Senior officials in the Revenue department said the government would also facilitate the installation of small ATM machines in 140 Gender Resource Centres (GRC), 11 offices of deputy commissioners of Revenue and certain circle offices of the Food and Supplies department.

"In order to help beneficiaries withdraw their benefit amount easily, employees working at these offices would be given the status of bank correspondents," a government official said.

3351 - NEWS ON DIRECT CASH TRANSFERS DATED 28TH MAY 2013

Cash transfer for food to be implemented after 90% consumers have valid cards Business Standard Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Administration K V Thomas on Monday said the government would implement cash transfers for food under the proposed Food Security Bill after 90 per cent of the target consumers have valid identity proof. See all stories on this topic »

Banks hurdle in cash transfer to poor: Sheila Dikshit Times of India NEW DELHI: While declaring that her government was keen to take the Aadhaar-based cash transfers to 30 lakh beneficiaries across various schemes, chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday expressed concern over obstacles in the delivery of cash transfers ... See all stories on this topic »

'Cash transfer for food to be Aadhaar-based' Business Standard The Centre would implement cash transfers for food entitlements under the proposed Food Security Bill only after 90 per cent of the eligible heads possess the Aadhaar-based identity proof, said KV Thomas, minister of state for food and consumer affairs. See all stories on this topic »

Govt expands cash transfer scheme ambit Hindustan Times Comments. Advertisement. The Delhi government is planning to increase the ambit of beneficiaries under Aadhar-based direct cash transfer. “We would like to include more beneficiaries under the Delhi Anshree Yojna and Delhi Kerosene Free Scheme, apart ... See all stories on this topic »

Delhi government plans to cover 30 lakh people under cash transfer scheme Economic Times The beneficiaries who have been included under the Aadhar-linked cash transfer scheme have also been facing difficulties in withdrawal of the money provided to them under various schemes. "We will install small ATM machines at 140 Gender Resource ... See all stories on this topic »

Delhi to tell finance ministry about cash transfer hurdles Newstrack India New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) The Delhi government will take up with the finance ministry the issue of difficulties faced by the beneficiaries of Aadhar-based direct cash transfer in withdrawing their money due to allegedly uncooperative attitude of banks ... See all stories on this topic »

Food security law will widen coverage: Minister Hindu Business Line The proposed food security law and the direct transfer of cash subsidy to beneficiaries' bank accounts will improve the working of public distribution system and widen coverage, according to Union Food Minister K.V. Thomas. The Union Government is ... See all stories on this topic »

Delhi govt plans to cover 30 L people under cash transfer scheme Delhi Government has planned to facilitate direct transfer of cash subsidies and other financial assistance to 30 lakh beneficiaries. zeenews.india.com/.../delhi-govt-plans-to-cover-30-l-people-u...

3350 - Govt expands cash transfer scheme ambit - HINDUSTAN TIMES

Govt expands cash transfer scheme ambit

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times  New Delhi, May 27, 2013

The Delhi government is planning to increase the ambit of beneficiaries under Aadhar-based direct cash transfer.  

“We would like to include more beneficiaries under the Delhi Anshree Yojna and Delhi Kerosene Free Scheme, apart from including beneficiaries under building construction workers welfare fund, school children and pensioners, underage widows and disabled categories in the ambit of those beneficiaries who have been getting their benefits under Aadhar-based direct cash transfer. This would result in increasing the number of such beneficiaries to up to 30 lakh,” said Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit.

She held a meeting with the Unique Identification Authority of India CEO Nandan Nilekani at the Delhi Secretariat. Divisional commissioner Dharampal and commissioner of food and supply SS Yadav were present.

An official said the government would facilitate installation of small ATMs at its 140 gender resource centres.

3349 - 'Cash transfer for food to be Aadhaar-based' - BUSINESS STANDARD

BS Reporter  |  Chennai  May 27, 2013 Last Updated at 20:20 IST

'Cash transfer for food to be Aadhaar-based'

The Centre would implement cash transfers for food entitlements under the proposed Food Security Bill only after 90 per cent of the eligible heads possess the Aadhaar-based identity proof, said KV Thomas, minister of state for food and consumer affairs.

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating the regional and district offices of Food Corporation of India (FCI) in the state, he said, the Aadhaar would be the sole criterion for receiving the food provisions and added the present system of food grants would continue.

However, he did not comment on when the Bill was expected to be discussed and passed in Parliament.

Responding to a request of MP Nirmala, secretary, food, consumer affairs and public distribution, for more subsidy for pulses and changes in purchase policies to help farmers sell their produce in other states, the minister said the matter was under discussion.

The new building of FCI in Chennai has come up at a cost of around Rs 14.37 crore. The FCI-Tamil Nadu region was  meeting state public distribution system and various other welfare schemes’ requirements by inducting approximately 336,000 tonne foodgrains every month. The FCI has a storage capacity of 1 million tonne in the state, including central and state warehousing corporations and private godowns.

3348 - Banks hurdle in cash transfer to poor: Sheila Dikshit - TIMES OF INDIA

Banks hurdle in cash transfer to poor: Sheila Dikshit

TNN | May 28, 2013, 05.35 AM IST

NEW DELHI: While declaring that her government was keen to take the Aadhaar-based cash transfers to 30 lakh beneficiaries across various schemes, chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday expressed concern over obstacles in the delivery of cash transfers due to non-cooperation of banks. 

She urged Unique Identification Authority of India chairman Nandan Nilekani to work towards speeding up the bank account opening process linked to Aadhaar enrolments. Dikshit also plans to take up the issue with finance minister P Chidambaram. 

One of the flagship schemes of the state is the Annshree Yojana (Cash for Food) scheme wherein a monthly subsidy of Rs 600 is given to beneficiaries not covered by the public distribution system. CM told Nilekani that Delhi government planned to facilitate direct transfer of cash subsidies and other financial assistance to beneficiaries of various central and state schemes. 

The beneficiaries have been facing difficulties in withdrawing money. "We will install small ATMs at 140 gender resource centres, 11 offices of DCs of revenue and in offices of food and supply department," she said. The government will give the status of "bank correspondents" to employees of these offices.

3347 - Cash transfer for food to be implemented after 90% consumers have valid cards - BUSINESS STANDARD

BS Reporter  |  Chennai  May 28, 2013 Last Updated at 00:13 IST

Cash transfer for food to be implemented after 90% consumers have valid cards

Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Administration K V Thomas on Monday said the government would implement cash transfers for food under the proposed Food Security Bill after 90 per cent of the target consumers have valid identity proof.

"Cash transfer for food would be implemented only after 90 per cent of consumers have an identity proof such as Aadhaar," Thomas said while speaking to reporters after inaugurating the Food Corporation of India's regional office for Tamil Nadu and district office for Chennai.

The present system of food grants would continue, he assured. He added that the system is defined in a manner in which if the consumer is withdrawing the subsidy component and not using it for purchasing the food grain, after two defaults, the account would be frozen. Plans are to conduct a pilot study in the six Union territories before implementing it. "This is a well thought of system and we are not jumping into something unknown," he added.

However, he did not comment on when the Food Security Bill was expected to be discussed and passed in Parliament. The Bill would cover around 82 crore people, which is almost 67 per cent of the population in the country, while the current public distribution system covers only 6.5 crore families or 32 crore people. He also elaborated on the changes made in the bill, including the extension of the programme to provide nutritious, locally-cooked food to mothers with more than two children. The Bill has also detailed that it would consider the mother in the family as the head of the family, when it comes to implementation of schemes.

The new building of FCI, set up in Chennai, has been built at a cost of around ~14.37 crore. The FCI Tamil Nadu region meets the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) and other welfare schemes requirement of the state by inducting approximately 3.36 lakh metric tonnes (MTs) of food grains every month. The FCI has a storage capacity of 10.72 lakh MTs in the state, which is sufficient to cater to 3.5 months of TPDS requirement.

3346 - To help all in Haryana get Aadhar card, govt launches introducers, verifiers - Indian Express

To help all in Haryana get Aadhar card, govt launches introducers, verifiers

VARINDER BHATIA : Chandigarh, Sun May 26 2013, 02:47 hrs      

In order to ensure maximum enrolment of people for Aadhar cards, the Haryana government has introduced a policy of "introducers and verifiers" in the state. The purpose for launching the concept is to get even those people enrolled for Aadhar who do not have any valid proof of identity (PoI) or proof of address (PoA). The state government has issued orders to this effect last week on May 16.

According to the orders, introducers will help such residents enrol in the system who do not have any PoI or PoA. Verifiers will verify the documents (PoI, PoA, date of birth) submitted by the citizens at the time of enrolment, in support of their claim for Aadhar card.

The state registrar has notified nambardars and sarpanchs as introducers, and patwaris and gram sachivs as verifiers for rural areas and municipal councillors as introducers and central and state government school teachers, class C and above grade employees as verifiers for the urban areas.

The government has also asked persons wishing to be engaged as introducers or verifiers to apply to the concerned area Deputy Commissioners. "After scrutiny of applications, the DC will forward the names to state registrar who will take necessary steps to notify each person by name".

So far, about 37 per cent of the total population of Haryana has been enrolled for Aadhar by the Unique Identification Authority of India.

In order to expedite the enrolment work, the state government has selected four agencies. These agencies will start enrolments in camp mode from June 1 in 17 districts of Haryana. The DCs of 17 districts have been asked to provide enrolment agencies adequate space at e-disha centres or any other suitable place with easy public access for setting up permanent enrolment centres.

"The government aims at maximum enrolment, for which we will soon be launching a media campaign on Aadhar card. We hope to enrol each and every resident of the state for Aadhar card by the end of this financial year", said Krishna Mohan, Additional Chief Secretary and Financial Commissioner (Revenue and Disaster Management-cum-Registrar UID).

3345 - New Aadhaar plan runs into roadblock - Hindustan Times

New Aadhaar plan runs into roadblock

Chetan Chauhan , Hindustan Times  New Delhi, May 26, 2013

First Published: 02:22 IST(26/5/2013) | Last Updated: 02:24 IST(26/5/2013)

The newly launched mobile-based authentication services would benefit only around 40% of Indian residents having Aadhaar numbers.

The Unique Identification Authority of India, which has a repository of as many as 350 million Aadhaar numbers, has mobile numbers of only about 40% of the Aadhaar holders.

Reason: The agency did not seek mobile numbers of enrollers in the first phase, during which over 200 million had got registered.

It means a small fraction of people with unique identification would be able to opt for cheaper method of online authentication via mobile phones.

The agency of Friday had launched its online authentication for service providers such as banks and cooking gas but the mobile-linked service was most cost-effective because it does not require installation of any additional equipment.

The other biometric registration based authentication will require service providers to buy finger print or iris recording machines.

Then the UIDAI officials would make you believe that one can avail of the service by updating its mobile number through public portal of UIDAI.

That is not the case. Mobile numbers cannot be updated as the entire service is based on one time password sent to a person’s mobile registered at the time of enrollment.

“One can send the mobile details with Aadhaar number to our offices or can visit our nearest Aadhaar enrollment centre,” said Vijav S Madan, the authority’s director general.

That is an option but the Unique Identification Authority of India cannot assure in how much time the records would be updated.

In a normal course an Aadhaar number should be generated in 90 days, an official working with the Unique Identification Authority of India said, but that has been an exception than a rule.

Nandan Nilekani, who heads the body, agrees that there should be a service delivery promise but cites constrains.

3344 - Aadhaar: Govt to set up UID centers - Deccan Chronicle

Aadhaar: Govt to set up UID centers

DC | 8 hours 17 min ago

UIA Chairman Nandan Nilekani with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in Bengaluru on Sunday. —Shashidhar B.

Bengaluru: The state government has decided to set up UID centers in all taluks in order to expedite registrations for ‘Aadhaar’ cards by people across Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Sunday.

Speaking to media persons after chairing a meeting with Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, UIDAI, chief secretary S.V. Ranganath and other senior officials, Siddaramaiah said these cards should be made available particularly for those belonging to the weaker sections so that they would be able to receive the benefits of various schemes of the Union and state governments.

He instructed officers concerned to set up registration facilities in all taluks to help people sign up for the cards. Nilekani said at least three crore people in the state had registered for UID cards so far while about 2.2 crore had received ‘Aadhaar’ cards. In the country, these cards were issued to 34 crore of the 40 crore people who had applied for them.

3343 - Aadhaar enrolment will be speeded up: Siddaramaiah - Deccan Herald

Aadhaar enrolment will be speeded up: Siddaramaiah

Bangalore, May 26, 2013, DHNS :

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said the government will take measures to speed up the Aadhaar enrolment drive and the entire population of the State will be covered within one year.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) chairperson Nandan Nilekani at his home office Krishna, he said more enrolment centres will be opened across the State in the coming days to enable people to obtain Aadhaar numbers without hassles.

So far, about three crore people in the State have enrolled themselves under the project launched by the Union government.

Three districts

A pilot project to connect subsidy schemes of the Central and State governments to Aadhaar numbers has been taken up in the three districts of Mysore, Tumkur and Dharwad, he added.

Nilekani said about 50 per cent of the State’s population has been covered under the project and Aadhaar numbers have been issued to about 2.2 crore people.

There is a need to expedite the enrolment process by opening more centres. The enrolment agencies will be asked to focus on vulnerable sections of society, he added.

Sources said the decision has been taken to conduct mega camps in various parts of the State. Besides, Siddaramaiah said he will hold a video conference with deputy commissioners and chief executive officers of Zilla Panchayats on Monday to review the drinking water supply.

Direction

The DCs and CEOs have been already directed to take all necessary steps to ensure supply of drinking water to people and adequate funds have been released for the purpose, he added.

On the alleged irregularities in conducting gazette probationers’ examination in the Karnataka Public Service Commission, the chief minister said he has directed Advocate General Ravivarma Kumar to submit a detailed report on the issue.

Appropriate action will be taken based on the report, he added.

3342 - CM wants to link rice scheme to Aadhaar - TOI

CM wants to link rice scheme to Aadhaar

TNN | May 27, 2013, 04.13 AM IST

BANGALORE: Chief minister Siddaramaiah has expressed his desire to link his ambitious Re 1 per kg rice scheme to Aadhaar. He also directed officials to carry out enrolment of people for Aadhar card in full swing. He also said the

The chief minister's statement came after Nandan Nilekani, chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India ( UIDAI), called on him at the CM's home office Krishna on Sunday.

"All the districts and taluks should get Aadhar cards. The focus should be on enrolling the weaker and marginalized sections as most of the state and central beneficiary schemes are linked to Aadhaar," Siddaramaiah said.

Giving the details, Nilekani said the authority has distributed over 34 crore cards as against 40 crore enrolment. "In Karnataka, 3 crore people have registered and already 2.2 crore cards have been distributed. Aadhaar can be used as proof for obtaining ration cards," he said.

3341 - Pilerne Citizens Forum petitions union home minister- Times of India

Pilerne Citizens Forum petitions union home minister

Joaquim Fernandes, TNN | May 25, 2013, 07.08 PM IST

PANAJI: The Pilerne citizens forum has petitioned the Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to order a scrutiny of the process of the issue of Aadhar cards in Goa. 

Alleging irregularities in the issue of Aadhar cards, the forum has lamented that their petitions on the same issue to UIAI chairman Nandan Nilekani, minister of state for statistics and programme implementation, Shrikant Kumar Jena and Goa chief secretary B Vijayan have evoked no positive response from any of them. The forum has also lamented that their representations to the Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and to Goa governor BV Wanchoo have gone unheeded. 

"We plead that appropriate action at your end be taken as expeditiously as possible, as the subject matter revolves around the security of the state. That apart, appropriate corrective measures are warranted as there is imminent threat that non-eligible persons could take benefit of the various features of Aadhar card at the cost of eligible persons," states the petition

3340 - UPA government planning to put rural India in online mode - New Indian Express

UPA government planning to put rural India in online mode

By Yatish Yadav | ENS - NEW DELHI

26th May 2013 08:02 AM

After the direct cash transfer scheme, the UPA government is planning to attract the common man, struggling at the bottom of the economic pyramid, into the cyberspace.

In between these big ticket social schemes lies a hope that the empowered people will bring them back to power in 2014. The government is targeting 11 Lakh rural schools, 12. 5 lakh Aanganwadi centres and over 1.5 lakh health centres for its cyber revolution in next 5 to 10 years to bridge the digital divide while reaping the benefits of an untapped market.

An internal note of DoT accessed by ‘Express’ reveals that the UPA has short-listed two models to provide broadband access to people under its Bharat Broadband scheme which may cost `20,000 crore per year to the national exchequer.

The note says that the two models- BSNL’s Commercial Model and the Closed User Group (CUG) Model, which are under the government’s consideration, will provide the common man with broadband access. Pointing out reasons for spending huge amount of money for its cyber plan, it says that the present telephone infrastructure is in a state of saturation and the industry is not in a position to invest even on voice services.

“Broadband to the last mile, including panchayats, should therefore be viewed as a social responsibility and as a tool for building an enabling ecosystem for inclusive growth for a period of 5-10 years. During this period, economic viability will start showing up, when industry could come up in a big way,” it stated.

The note which was debated by the senior officials of Cabinet Secretariat last month raises serious doubts over the efficiency of the BSNL commercial model which will cost `20,000 crore to meet the objectives as envisaged in the plan. It says that running only one hour of video conferencing per day in only 2.5 lakh schools will cost the government `2,000 crore annually. “As this model is based on charging individual access points and a ‘retail’ model in that sense, it is not possible to optimise the collective government usage and cut down the cost.” The Centre is now worried about the role of stakeholders in the entire plan.

It observed that all stakeholders including telecom service providers are operating in their own silos and need to be convinced for a collaborative approach which would provide level playing field for businesses.

3339 - UPA-II failed to deliver on its promises: Aruna Roy’s report card - First Post

UPA-II failed to deliver on its promises: Aruna Roy’s report card

by Pallavi Polanki May 25, 2013

National Advisory Council (NAC) member and leading social activist Aruna Roy has come down heavily on the government for its poor performance in the social sector.

Roy, an instrumental force behind the Right to Information Act, criticised the government for stalling on essential legislations such as the Food Security Bill, the Land Acquisition Bill and the Lokpal Bill.

Roy spoke to Firstpost about UPA-II’s record on inclusive growth, the government’s new advertising campaign and the UPA’s biggest challenge as it goes into polls in 2014.

Excerpts from the Interview:

Has UPA-II delivered on its promise of inclusive growth?

While UPA-I delivered on some essential promises in the social sector such as MGNREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) and the Forest Rights Act, UPA-II has made promises which it has failed to deliver.

The Food Security Bill lies in Parliament waiting to be passed with little time left for debate on its provisions or to strengthen its framework. In fact, there seems to be a real danger that it may not get passed at all.

The Land Acquisition bill which has been mired in controversy has also not moved beyond the stage of the Standing Committee. Even the much touted UID-based direct benefit transfer has encountered basic problems and is a non-starter.

Roy has said the government failed to deliver on many promises. 

Image courtesy: Ibnlive

The UPA-II promised a revamping of the National Social Assistance Programme to move towards universal and enhanced pensions for the elderly, single women, and disabled. However, this too remains unfulfilled. The question of money seems to have dominated all decisions related to the social sector, so much so that many states are talking about a cash crunch in MGNREGA.

The Right to Education Act was passed during UPA-II, but the implementation of its progressive provisions remains crippled due to a lack of resources needed to meet commitments.

Corruption scandals have rocked UPA-II with disturbing regularity. How has government fared in bringing more transparency in governance?

An area where the performance of UPA-II has been deeply disappointing is in its inability to deliver on basic governance legislation of critical importance to the country today. The debate around the Lokpal Bill resulted in several pieces of draft legislation which would undoubtedly help citizens ensure accountability of the government and its officials. Apart from the Lokpal Bill, the Grievance Redress Bill, the Whistleblower Protection Bill, the Judicial Accountability Bill are legislations that should be passed immediately.

The Whistleblower Protection Bill and the Grievance Redress Bill actually affect the right to live of the poor in significant ways. An effective Grievance Redress Bill could have been like an RTI part II for UPA-II. Instead, the Government exempted its premier anti-corruption investigating agency – the CBI from scrutiny under the RTI Act, and has now been forced by the Supreme Court to promise independence in investigation of corruption cases.

If the Government has any intent of addressing corruption and arbitrary use of power, anti- corruption agencies must be made independent, transparent, and accountable, and this basket of accountability legislations, which have come to Parliament after much public action over the last two years, must be passed immediately.

What do you make of the publicity campaign released recently by UPA-II to highlight its achievements in the social sector. Is the UPA making the same mistake that the NDA made in 2004 with the ‘India Shining’ campaign?

It is true that the “game changer” label given to the UID-based cash transfer/direct benefit transfer seems to resonate with the NDAs ‘India Shining’ campaign. In both cases, there is little that is delivered to the poor in real terms and the triumphant claims only served to rub salt in the wounds of large numbers of suffering and marginalised people.

Does the UID system create more problems for the poor? AFP

The attempt to ensure that money reaches the beneficiary without leakages along the way is laudable, but imposing an impractical and untested centralized delivery platform like the UID on a complex development structure can complicate existing systems and exclude large numbers of people.

The results from the roll out districts speak for themselves. Miniscule numbers of beneficiaries have received money through this platform and even in these cases there has been no additional benefit to them. For the poor as a whole, there has been the added problems and irritants associated with having to acquire a UID number on which all entitlements will be tethered.

If wisdom prevails, UPA-II even in its last year would concentrate on delivering on its social sector promises: ensure that food and pension entitlements are made a reality, enact citizen-centred accountability systems to guarantee delivery of entitlements and fix accountability of officials.

What will be the UPA’s biggest challenge as it goes into polls in 2014?

The challenge for any government is to deliver on its promises and the UPA II will be evaluated on its implementation of promises made. The questions it will have to answer are: what are ways in which it has promoted or vitiated the achievements of UPA-I ,vis-a-vis the Right to Information, MGNREGA, Forest Rights Act, etc?

Two, has it delivered on its promises of inclusive growth in UPA II – Right to Food, Pensions, Education, Health, etc? And three, has it provided a real answer to the widespread frustration of people about the lack of accountability at all levels and numbers of cases of grand corruption that have been regularly coming to light?

I don’t wish to speculate on what the results of a particular election will be. I do, however, believe that a government has a duty to deliver on promises it has made to its electorate.

The India Shining Campaign demonstrated that people are shrewd and respond only when real benefits reach them. Tall claims and slick campaigns do not get votes. Slogans are seen as mere rhetoric. It would be a mistake not to recognize that people can understand political intent through delivery

3338 - Admin seeks more machines, report on Aadhaar enrollment centres - Hindustan Times

Admin seeks more machines, report on Aadhaar enrollment centres

HT Correspondent , Hindustan Times  Gurgaon, May 26, 2013

First Published: 04:06 IST(26/5/2013) | Last Updated: 04:08 IST(26/5/2013

The district administration on Saturday called a meeting of the agencies engaged in preparation of Aadhaar card and directed them to make the enrollment procedure more people-friendly so that they do not face hassles.

Gurgaon deputy commissioner PC Meena sought a report of the centres opened by various agencies in the district and the number of machines deployed there. He said that information provided will be verified by the administration. He added that the progress would be reviewed on a fortnightly basis. 

City magistrate Anu has been appointed as the nodal officer to make the interface between public and enrollment agencies smoother. The administration has decided to call a joint meeting of resident welfare associations (RWAs) and service provider agencies on Tuesday.

The presidents of group housing societies can also take part in the meeting which is being called to chalk out a schedule for preparation of Aadhaar cards so that the work is completed in a more systematised manner.

Meena has also directed the agencies to inform the administration whenever they change the location of any centre so that citizens can be informed accordingly and residents in nearby areas can benefit from it.

Presently, 71 machines are deployed at 24 different centres in Gurgaon. The agencies, however, have assured to increase the number of machines to 250 in the next three weeks.

Officials claimed that of the city’s population of 15 lakh, 45% have been enrolled and 8.28 lakh people are yet to  be covered.

3337 - Now, street kids to get Aadhaar cards TOI

Now, street kids to get Aadhaar cards

Ambika Pandit, TNN | May 26, 2013, 01.00 AM IST

NEW DELHI: Children on the streets of Delhi can now get a unique identity through the UID-Aadhaar programme. The state government's women and child development department has asked NGOs to support the process of enrollment for the biometrics-based identity number that will enable access to social entitlements. After it received a communication from the Unique Identification Authority of India in February regarding enrollment for UID cards for orphan children, the department wrote to NGOs registered with the state and those running childcare institutions. 

The order also applies to street children. This information came through at a consultation on government schemes for underprivileged children organized at the India International Centre annexe on Saturday. Senior officials from the department confirmed that the direction applies to all vulnerable children, not just those in institutional care. Now, NGOs working with children at railway stations and on the streets can endorse them at the time of enrollment. 

Copies of the letter from the UIDAI to the state on the enrollment process were circulated among stakeholders, mostly NGOs, Child Welfare Committee members, researchers and networks working with children in vulnerable circumstances at the consultation on Saturday. 

A certificate issued by a "Group A" gazetted officer will serve as a valid proof of identity and proof of address for enrollment. The circular states that certificates issued by childcare institutions are signed by welfare officers who are Group A gazetted officers, hence certification from them will do. Providing information on the unique identity enrollment process, Premodaya Khaka, assistant director with the women and child development department, said even NGOs can endorse a child. He asked NGOs to support the process.

3336 - Ill-equipped vendors unable to meet demand for Aadhaar - TOI

Ill-equipped vendors unable to meet demand for Aadhaar

Yogesh Kumar & Akanksha Bawa, TNN May 24, 2013, 04.00AM IST

GURGAON: The wait for the applicants of Aadhaar card in Gurgaon seems to only get longer despite the residents having already submitted the enrollment documents over two months ago. Almost all the enrollment centres in the city are witnessing a huge rush, especially after the Centre's move linking subsidy on cooking gas with Aadhaar cards.

Serpentine queues and long waiting time greet an applicant at all the over dozen enrollment centres operated by various private firms, mostly Delhi based.

At the Saraswati Vihar enrollment centre, the waiting time is usually more than a month. "I have been told to come in June end for enrollment since all the previous dates are already booked," told Anshul Jain, an applicant, to TOI at the Saraswati Vihar centre.

"The staff at the enrollment centre give a token to those who have filled the form and then call them on a particular date later for other necessary procedures. This is quite frustrating," said another resident Brijesh Thakur.

Meanwhile, the centre staff claimed the move was aimed to cut the maddening rush at the centre every day. "On an average we can complete enrollment formalities of 55 people. To facilitate faster enrollment and cut waiting time, applicants are being given tokens with the date to visit the centre," said one of the centre employees.

"As per government rules, Aadhaar cards should reach applicants in maximum of 90 days but I have not yet received mine despite enrollment formalities done over three months ago," said another applicant Sudhkhar Ranjan. He has managed to download his e-Aadhaar card from the UIDAI website, however, he said that most banks and government departments have now started asking for actual Aadhar card.

Over 1,000 residents of Sector 23 are still waiting for their Aadhaar card. Rohan Patel, a resident of Sector 23, said: "There is little awareness about the Aadhaar card and the biggest problem is that it's delivered through post, which is quite unreliable."

The residents also blamed the lack of proper infrastructure and adequate enrollment centres in Gurgaon. "Having 10-20 centres will just not be able to meet the huge rush in the city. If more centres are not opened it would take several years to enroll everyone," said another resident Dishant Arora.

Meanwhile, the Unique Identification Authority of India has instructed to set up more enrollment centres in Gurgaon to speed up the process.

A Delhi-based company, which has been engaged to set up Aadhaar enrollment centres in several states including Haryana, has now decided to organize special enrollment camps at 15 different locations in Gurgaon. At present 5 centres are operational and enrollment work is in full swing. "A new centre has been opened in ward number 1 of the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon and has four machines and all the necessary equipment," said a company executive.

The company has got the instructions from UIDAI's office in Chandigarh to expedite the process of setting up new centres in Gurgaon. The 15 centres have been given the target to enroll over 70,000 people.

The residents, however, said that they are not aware of the locations where new enrollment centres would come up. "There are only 3-4 enrollment centres in entire Gurgaon (urban) and there is an urgent need to open several more," said Anil Aggarwal, a city resident.

3335 - Montek Singh Ahluwalia speaks of lost Aadhaar card, gets new one in 1 hr - Deccan Chronicle

Montek Singh Ahluwalia speaks of lost Aadhaar card, gets new one in 1 hr

PTI | 21 hours 58 min ago

Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia with UIDAI Chairman Nandan Nilekani during the launch of Aadhaar based new services and permanent enrollment centres in New Delhi - PTI

New Delhi: A casual mention of a lost Aadhaar card in public saw government machinery go on an overdrive and its holder got a duplicate card in less than an hour.

And the beneficiary of this efficiency - an issue over which government departments often faced criticism - was none other than a pleasantly surprised Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Ahluwalia, who was the chief guest at the Aadhaar card issuing authority UIDAI's function here Friday morning, told his audience during the course of his speech that he had lost his unique identification card.

But little did he expect that a duplicate card will be handed over to him even before the event concluded, apparently aware that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is bombarded with hundreds of complaints of missing, lost or delayed cards. Ahluwalia had gone to attend the UIDAI function to launch three new Aadhaar-enabled services which would help residents to authenticate their identity anytime and anywhere through a digital platform.

According to official sources, UIDAI can find out Aadhaar number and generate Aadhaar Card using the mobile number of a resident.

When Ahluwalia spoke about his missing card, the staff concerned in the Authority were asked by the UIDAI bosses to generate a duplicate Aadhaar Card without wasting a single minute.

Later, overwhelmed with the express service of the authority, Ahluwalia posed with his duplicate Aadhaar Card before a posse of photographers. 

3334 - UIDAI unveils three online identity authentication services - Hindustan Times

UIDAI unveils three online identity authentication services

PTI  New Delhi, May 24, 2013

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Friday unveiled three new Aadhaar-enabled services which would help residents to authenticate their identity anytime and anywhere through a digital platform.

Besides the authority also announced establishment of (around 300) permanent enrolment centres (Aadhaar Kendras). The number of these Aadhaar Kendras would be scaled up to 1,000 by September this year.

"The centres will facilitate enrolment of residents left out during the camps organised by registrars in the past and also facilitate biometric and demographic update," UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani said.

Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who was also present on the occasion, said there could be leakage ranging between 20% to 40% in the present system of delivery of benefits under various schemes and said that these services would help plugging them.

The authority has launched three Aadhaar-enabled services including e-KYC, OTP (one time pin) authentication and Iris authentication.

The e-KYC service will enable individuals to authorise service providers to receive electronic copy of their proof of identity and address.

The e-KYC service can be deployed by different agencies to verify a resident's identity and address. Only demographic information (Name, Address, Date of Birth, Gender, Photograph & Mobile Number) that is collected during Aadhaar enrolment will be shared, at the request of, and/or with the consent of the Aadhaar number holder.

However the information will be available only for few seconds to the service provider to avoid any misuse.

The OTP service enables Aadhaar based authentication of all residents using their mobile telephone anytime, anywhere on a self service mode without having to use biometric authentication device.

The third service will enable residents to authenticate identity for availing Aadhaar-enabled services by providing a combination of Aadhaar number and Iris image.

Under the OTP and iris authentication, the authority's digital platform would not share the demographic details and respond in yes or no to authenticate the identity of the resident.

3333 - Direct cash transfer of LPG subsidy in 20 districts from June 1 - Economic Times

Direct cash transfer of LPG subsidy in 20 districts from June 1

ET Bureau May 16, 2013, 05.00AM IST

NEW DELHI: The government will from June 1 roll out direct transfer of cash subsidy on cooking gas (LPG) in 20 districts as it looks to cut its subsidy outgo by up to 10,000 crore annually by eliminating diversions.

Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily said 76 lakh consumers in 20 districts like Mysore, North Goa, Pondicherry, Mandi and Hyderabad, will get 435 in their back accounts every time they book an LPG refill. These consumers then will have to buy cooking gas at market price which is double the 410.50 rate for a 14.2-kg bottle in Delhi.

Announcing the launch, Moily said the government intends to extend the scheme to rest of the country but refused to give timelines for the same. "We are ready to launch the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme for LPG all over the country but we want to see the results of the roll-out in these 20 districts," he said.

Moily said the 20 districts selected have high Aadhaar or unique identification number penetration. While as many as 89% of the LPG consuming population in these districts have Aadhaar number, the government will give a three-month grace period to them to procure the UID number and seed it with their bank accounts where cash subsidy has to be transferred.

After three months, that is from September 1, only consumers having Aadhaar and banks accounts linked to them will get cash subsidy and the rest will have to buy LPG at market price, he said.

3332 - Montek gets duplicate Aadhaar card in one hour - The Hindu

Montek gets duplicate Aadhaar card in one hour 

NEW DELHI, May 25, 2013

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has been a big supporter of the UIDAI project. And, as if to strengthen his belief in the UIDAI, at a function on Friday when he said in the course of his speech that he had lost his Aadhaar card, the UIDAI acted swiftly and gave him a duplicate card in less than an hour, before the end of the event. A pleased Mr. Ahluwalia, showed the duplicate card to photographers.

3331 - UIDAI launches 3 Aadhaar-enabled services, permanent enrolment centres - The Hindu Business Line

UIDAI launches 3 Aadhaar-enabled services, permanent enrolment centres

Widening reach: Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, with Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, UIDAI, during the launch of Aadhaar Based New Services and Permanent Enrolment Centres in the Capital on Friday. – Kamal Narang

NEW DELHI, MAY 24:  

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia may not use his unique identity number ‘Aadhaar’ frequently, but he was certainly worried when he lost the card containing this number.

However, on Friday, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) brought a smile to his face, when it handed over an e-Aadhaar letter to him on the occasion of the launch of three new services and permanent enrolment centres or Aadhaar Kendras.

After the launch, people in need of an Aadhaar number can go to permanent enrolment centres, where they will get not just e-Aadhaar numbers for Rs 10, but can also get a unique identity number to any new addition in the family, besides updating biometric or demographic data by paying Rs 15. Those who could not enrol during the special drives can also visit such centres.

The authority is starting 300 such centres. The plan is to scale this number up to 1,000 by September. The Aadhaar Kendras will be located in Common Service Centres or Government Buildings in block/mandal/tehsil/taluka or municipal ward offices.

Three Aadhaar-enabled services were also launched, including e-KYC, OTP (one-time pin) authentication and Iris authentication. UIDAI Chairman Nandan Nilekani termed all these as a part of ‘Portable Digital Assets’, and said these would act as a single gateway to many services. This will also help to roll out various schemes in a cost-effective manner.

The e-KYC service will enable individuals to authorise service providers to receive electronic copies of their proof of identity and address. This service can be deployed by agencies to verify a resident’s identity and address.

Only demographic information (name, address, date of birth, gender, photograph and mobile number) that is collected during Aadhaar enrolment will be shared, at the request of, and/or with the consent of the number holder. However, the information will be available only for a few seconds to the service provider to avoid misuse.

The OTP service will enable Aadhaar-based authentication of all residents using their mobile telephone anytime, anywhere on self-service mode without having to use the biometric authentication device. This service will enable residents to authenticate identity for availing themselves of Aadhaar-enabled services by providing a combination of the Aadhaar number and iris image of the individual.

Under the OTP service and iris authentication, the authority’s digital platform would not share the demographic details and respond in only in ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to authenticate the identity of an individual.

shishir.sinha@thehindu.co.in

3330 - Suspected Chinese spy arrested from Dharamsala

Suspected Chinese spy arrested from Dharamsala

PTI : Dharamsala, Fri May 24 2013, 01:25 hrs      

Police today claimed to have arrested a 33-year-old man of Tibetan origin from Mcleodganj here on the suspicion of being a Chinese spy.

Pema Tsering was arrested last evening on the complaint of Tibetan government's security agencies in Dharamsala, Superintendent of Police (Kangra) Balbir Thakur said.

"We were keeping an eye on him after receiving a written complaint from Tibetan security agencies about his suspicious activity and on Wednesday evening, we arrested him," Thakur said.

Police have recovered an Indian voter ID card and Aadhar card from Tsering's possession. Both the documents are registered at Chandni Chowk, Delhi.

"We are verifying the validity of the documents recovered from his possession and whether he has obtained Indian citizenship as he possessed an Indian voter ID card."

"It is matter of concern as to how Tsering got voter card in January 2011 and an Aadhar card in July 2011 from Delhi. Investigation is on, central intelligence officials might also join the probe," the SP said.

An FIR has been registered against Pempa under relevant sections of IPC, Foreign Registration Act and section 21 of Citizenship Act.

According to police, preliminary investigations have shown that Tsering stayed in Delhi for a few years before coming to Dharamsala.

Referring to Tibetan intelligence reports, Thakur said Tsering was a member of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China and also served in the People's Armed Police Force (PAPF) before coming to India.

"During interrogations, the accused has admitted that he is ex-PLA personnel and Public Secrecy Bureau of China, but then left it to come to India in 2009 via Kathmandu," he said, adding Tsering was living in Narbulinga near the residence of Karmapa Lama for past one year.

Police are trying to explore his possible links outside India, especially with China.

Dharamsala is the seat of the Tibetan government in exile and the Dalai Lama.

- See more at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/suspected-chinese-spy-arrested-from-dharamsala/1119797/#sthash.BLbqYMx6.dpuf

3329 - 2.75 lakh Aadhaar cards lie undelivered - TOI

2.75 lakh Aadhaar cards lie undelivered

TNN | May 22, 2013, 06.26 AM IST

HYDERABAD: Around 2.75 lakh Aadhaar cards are lying at the office of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as the applicants concerned were not available at the residences when the cards were delivered by the postal authorities. The authorities have now decided to deliver the cards again with help of the district administration.

"We have about 2.75 lakh Aadhaar cards lying with us which were returned as the persons were not found at the address. The postal authorities waited for seven days before returning such cards to us," MVS Ram Reddy, deputy director general, UIDIA, Andhra Pradesh, told TOI.

In fact, the UIDAI is unable to establish as to who exactly fall in this category as the status update options on the official UIDAI website does not take into account the cards that were returned due to the absence of the applicant at the time of delivery. "Therefore, it is not clear as to who these 2.75 lakh Aadhaar applicants are. This only prolongs the agony of the Aadhaar applicant," said an official.

Now, the authorities have decided to take the help of the district administration in ensuring that the 'returned' Aadhar cards are once again delivered to the rightful applicant. Within the next 10 days, the cards will be dispatched to the district administration which will further send it to the mandal authorities for distribution, officials said. Redistribution of the 2.75 lakh Aadhaar cards will be completed within one month, the officials added.

The UIDAI website does not take into account the cards that were retuned due to the absence of the applicant at the time of delivery and since the cards are being sent via ordinary post, it is not possible to track them unlike the Speed Post. The UIDAI had stopped delivering the cards via Speed Post as it was costing Rs 20 per card.

Comments:

s.k.das. (thane)

1 day ago

maximum of the small post offices are nonfunctional.they dont work. they dont delever. try other options.

AAM JANTA DAL OPPOSE (Gurgaon, Haryana)

So, What is or would be the base of disbursement of Cash Subsidy????????????? Everything in Scam????????????

Jaffar Zaidi (Hyderabad)

3 days ago

It is mind boggling the heights of Govt. apathy and short-sightedness related to the Aadhaar card. The UIDAI website says it is a VOLUNTARY card then how can the Govt. link subsidy to something so voluntary? 2.7 Lakh Aadhaar cards are undelivered because the postal department is not interested in doing its job; After all they will get their full pay even if the don't deliver. Remember the stash of Aadhaar cards found burning on the streets of Hyderabad not too long ago. UIDAI is a great idea but a failed scheme. Their budgets have been cut by the Govt.and their own attitude towards delivery of the UID scheme is questionable. After all why does nobody pick up the phones at their toll free number? Why does the e-Aadhaar portal not work? Why are the people at the enrolment centre not conversant in Hindi or English? Why are the forms being filled and options being ticked for the general public by the people at the desk as per their whims and fancies? These are data entry guys who cant even explain the fields in an Aadhaar application form. What is the basis for overenthusiasm in bringing Aadhaar linked subsidies? Numbers speak for themselves and what we need to look at is how many people got their Aadhaar cards not just how many have applied. This experiment is doomed at the moment and I hope the Govt. comes to its senses and puts on hold the subsidy scheme for the next few years until 100% enrolment and delivery of Aadhaar cards is done. I wonder if there is a dirty money trail linked to this Aadhaar business!

Swati Saini (Karnatka)

3 days ago

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rajan loknathan (chennai / trivandrum)

I have seen many cards just lying in the boxes kept for the individuals while the cards are to be delivered to their apartments directly. Many times the post men leave it outside ot do not care to hand them over to people even though they are sent by registered post.

panishaker Reddy (Hyderabad)

FOR SURE ONE IS MINE.

observer (hyderabad)

3 days ago

Besides the lakhs of Aadhar Cards not delievered to the applicants, there are lakhs of people who are waiting for the authorities of the UIDAI to issue them new cards for the first time. Shamsabad was supposed to have a camp for the issue of Aadhar cards in the month of April, but, as usual, they do not have the staff, to process the cards & there are no bio-metric sets available with the government of Andhra Pradesh, these are the excuses, the public gets to hear. Just like they make a mess of the voters card, the same is happening with the Aadhar card, useless government, & useless government officials. So all we do now, is wait & watch, the drama of the government.

rao (hyderabad) replies to observer

3 days ago

Why the hell cards should go back to UIDAI office? If MVS Ram Reddy directs PO to retain aadhar cards at post office (pin code or colony-wise), then those who applied can personally visit nearby PO and collect the cards by showing SMS recd. from UIDAI. Why this simple procedure cannot be followed for effective delivery?