TIRUCHI, October 2, 2013
City residents who are yet to register their biometric data for obtaining Aadhaar cards have got an opportunity to do so now.
The second round of the special camps for recording biometric data for issue of the national identity cards under the National Population Register programme will begin in the city on Thursday.
According to corporation sources, 71 per cent of the 7.92 lakh above-five population in the 60 wards of the city were covered during the first phase of the special camps held between October 2012 and March this year.
Biometric data of citizens such as fingerprints and Iris are recorded by a private agency with the corporation acting as the facilitator in conducting the camps.
The camps assume importance as the Centre had planned to roll out the direct benefit transfer scheme in Tiruchi district from November 1.
Under the initiative, the subsidy for LPG consumers is to be transferred directly to the Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts.
Although the Supreme Court in its recent interim order has said that no citizen should be denied subsidy for want of Aadhaar, sources in the oil companies said that they have not received any intimation from the Union government so far about any change in the plan.
Recently, advertisements were issued in leading newspapers detailing the procedure for linking the Aadhaar cards with bank accounts of consumers.
This has made many city residents, who failed to attend the camps in the first round, anxious to have their biometric data recorded for getting the Aadhaar cards.
The corporation on Tuesday announced that the second round of the camps would commence on Thursday for residents in ward 1 to 60 in the city (excluding the five newly-added wards of 61 to 65 where the camps are to be organised by the district administration).
150 persons a day
Tokens will be issued at the centres and biometric data of about 150 persons will be recorded at each centre every day.
The camps are likely to go on for the next two months.
Residents will be required to produce the acknowledgement slips issued to them during the enumeration of the National Population Register (NPR) conducted in 2010 and their ration cards.
Residents who were not covered under the enumeration for the National Population Register but had already submitted the relevant form (for inclusion in the register) distributed during first round of special camps can have their data recorded now, sources said.
The camps will be held at Srirangam corporation zonal office at Gandhi Road for residents in ward 1-6, 8-13 and 16-18; at Ariyamangalam zonal office at Palakkarai for residents in ward 7, 14,15, 19-29 and 33; and at Golden Rock zonal office at the corporation main office on Bharathidasan Salai for residents of ward 30-32; 34-39; 42-44; and 46-48.
Residents of the three zones can attend the camps at the respective zonal offices on any day from October 3.
In K.Abishekapuram zone, the camps will be held at Corporation Elementary School at E.V.R.Road in Puthur as per the following schedule: October 3 - ward 40; October 4 - ward 41; October 5 - ward 45; October 6 - 49; October 7 – ward 50; October 8 – ward 51; October 9 – ward 52; October 10 – ward 53; October 11 – ward 54; October 12 – ward 55; October 15 – ward 56; October 17 – ward 57; October 18 – ward 58; October 19 – ward 59; October 20 – ward 60.
The camps will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at all the centres.
