LUCKNOW, February 20, 2015
SANDEEP JOSHI
With an aim of generating unique “'Aadhaar” numbers for almost 20 crore residents of Uttar Pradesh, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has now stepped up its drive by enrolling 3.5-lakh resident everyday and so far covering 40 per cent of the State’s population.
Aadhaar of more than eight crore residents has been generated so far.
Now, to accelerate the pace of enrolment in the state, 2,000 enrolment centres have been opened across the state where about 8000 enrolment kits have been deployed that are being operated by 66 enrolment agencies, officials in UIDAI's Lucknow regional office said.
For Uttar Pradesh, the UIDAI has initiated several steps to give impetus to the enrolment process, which includes organising training and certification camps for operating agencies. Over 2,000 operators have already been granted certification while the Authority plans to enrol more operators to speed up the process, they said.
The UIDAI's Lucknow office is also keeping a close eye on all the enrolment centres and taking strict action against operators who are trying to take money for enrolment or not carrying out the process smoothly. Already several erring agencies have been blacklisted, while strict vigilance was being kept of the entire process.
The UIDAI is also carrying out awareness drive telling people not to pay money for Aadhaar enrolment and lodge a compliant if any agency asks for money, officials said.
Uttar Pradesh being the biggest State, the Centre is more focused on early completion of the Aadhaar enrolment which is directly linked to various schemes and initiatives, including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG Subsidy (DBTL), Universal Account Number (UAN) of Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), public distribution system (PDS), pensions and scholarships, passports and attendance in government offices.