BELAGAVI, August 6, 2016
- SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Taking cognizance of a complaint brought to his notice about an Aadhaar enrolment centre collecting money for services, Deputy Commissioner N. Jayaram on Thursday ordered the Belagavi Tahsildar to file a complaint with the police.
Mr. Jayaram said that he had verified the complaint and the tahsildar was filing a complaint based on a particular case brought to his notice recently.
The Deputy Commissioner’s action has come belatedly as several Aadhaar card enrolment centres have been reportedly collecting money from those applying for new cards and for trying to update information on their cards. From Rs. 20 a few years ago, these centres have increased their charges to Rs.200 and more now.
The case based on which the Deputy Commissioner has taken action relates to a youth who had approached an Aadhar Kendra at Annapurnawadi on Bauxite Road to update information on his card on Monday. The workers at the kendra demanded Rs. 200 for updating one information and Rs. 300 for two updates.
The youth, who was aware that the issuance of Aadhaar card and updating of information for errors and wrong entries were for free, decided to bring the issue to public notice. He recorded his conversation with the workers and released it to a section of the media. In the video, a worker at the kendra is seen informing him that Rs.20 was the fee for issuing a new card and Rs. 200 would be charged for updating information. The youth paid Rs. 300 for updating information but was not issued any receipt.