Unique identity crisis….Sudeshna Chowdhury
The ambitious Unique Identification (UID) programme aimed at giving people a valid and clear proof of identity is mired in confusion
The ambitious Unique Identification (UID) programme aimed at giving people a valid and clear proof of identity is mired in confusion
The Unique Identification (UID) project was first launched amid much fanfare, in 2010 at Tembhli, a tribal village in Maharashtra. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) envisioned the UID programme, which is meant for people residing in India. Under this programme the UIDAI is issuing a 12-digit UID number, called ‘Aadhaar’ to people living in the country.
While duplicate application forms are available at various stationary shops, a majority in the city are unaware of the registration procedure to be followed to get their UID numbers.
Wait
It was a long haul for R.Sadagopan (67), who went to apply for his UID number at a nearby enrollment centre in Ghatkopar (E). Sadagopan, who had to wait for more than two hours along with his wife, laments that the application process itself is quite cumbersome and time consuming. Said Sadagopan, “I got to know about the nearby enrollment centre through a friend. I don’t know how we are supposed to figure out where the enrollment centres are and what are the timings for registration. I haven’t come across anything in the newspapers. I haven’t seen any posters or advertisements by the government. There is absolutely no clarity.” Most of the people seeking UIDs also complain of mismanagement. “We senior citizens are made to wait for hours to just get the registration forms. We are then given tokens and asked to come after a couple of hours. There is no separate queue for women or senior citizens. Hence, we are finding the process very difficult,” emphasised Sadagopan.
It was a long haul for R.Sadagopan (67), who went to apply for his UID number at a nearby enrollment centre in Ghatkopar (E). Sadagopan, who had to wait for more than two hours along with his wife, laments that the application process itself is quite cumbersome and time consuming. Said Sadagopan, “I got to know about the nearby enrollment centre through a friend. I don’t know how we are supposed to figure out where the enrollment centres are and what are the timings for registration. I haven’t come across anything in the newspapers. I haven’t seen any posters or advertisements by the government. There is absolutely no clarity.” Most of the people seeking UIDs also complain of mismanagement. “We senior citizens are made to wait for hours to just get the registration forms. We are then given tokens and asked to come after a couple of hours. There is no separate queue for women or senior citizens. Hence, we are finding the process very difficult,” emphasised Sadagopan.
Unaware
While the Sadagopans have at least managed to get themselves registered, many people do not even know about their nearest enrollment centres where they can go and apply for their UID numbers. “I would definitely want to get my Aadhaar number but I don’t know where to go and how to get the registration done. I haven’t come across any report, which can take us through the entire procedure. Like all our programmes, even the UID programme is suffering due to lack of proper execution,” said Mrudul Mody (65) from Thane.
While the Sadagopans have at least managed to get themselves registered, many people do not even know about their nearest enrollment centres where they can go and apply for their UID numbers. “I would definitely want to get my Aadhaar number but I don’t know where to go and how to get the registration done. I haven’t come across any report, which can take us through the entire procedure. Like all our programmes, even the UID programme is suffering due to lack of proper execution,” said Mrudul Mody (65) from Thane.
Talking about the registration procedure, Sudha Mohan, a professor at Mumbai University said, “I didn’t know that one has to go for registration to get an Aadhaar number.” When asked if she knew about the nearest enrollment centre, Mohan said, “What are these enrollment centres and where are they located?”
Forms
Many like Mohan, who have heard about the government’s much-publicised UID programme, are clueless about the process. Others prefer to not having their UID numbers rather than standing in never-ending queues for hours. Said Deryk Talker, who had recently gone to Petit BMC School Waterfield Road, the enrollment centre at Bandra (W), to get an application form, “The form, which was supposed to be available for free, was being sold by middlemen for Rs 10, just outside the enrollment centre. I was told that people have been queuing up since 5 am in the morning for getting forms. Some of them have been standing for more than four hours.” Since, the enrollment centres give away limited number of tokens on any given day, Talker said, “It was futile to stand and wait for my turn to come. The queue was just too long.” But inspite of all the difficulties, it is advisable that people buy registration forms only from enrollment centres. Said Dr Santosh Bhogle, undersecretary, IT department, Government of Maharashtra, “The application forms have serial numbers. Therefore forms should be obtained only from enrollment centres.”
Many like Mohan, who have heard about the government’s much-publicised UID programme, are clueless about the process. Others prefer to not having their UID numbers rather than standing in never-ending queues for hours. Said Deryk Talker, who had recently gone to Petit BMC School Waterfield Road, the enrollment centre at Bandra (W), to get an application form, “The form, which was supposed to be available for free, was being sold by middlemen for Rs 10, just outside the enrollment centre. I was told that people have been queuing up since 5 am in the morning for getting forms. Some of them have been standing for more than four hours.” Since, the enrollment centres give away limited number of tokens on any given day, Talker said, “It was futile to stand and wait for my turn to come. The queue was just too long.” But inspite of all the difficulties, it is advisable that people buy registration forms only from enrollment centres. Said Dr Santosh Bhogle, undersecretary, IT department, Government of Maharashtra, “The application forms have serial numbers. Therefore forms should be obtained only from enrollment centres.”
Online
One enrollment centre can only give limited (50-150) coupons on a single day. In a step towards solving such problems, the authorities are planning to go online, to make the process simpler, faster and user-friendly. Explained Satnam Singh Sethi Chief Operating Officer (COO), Maha Online Ltd, “We ran a successful trial in Pune. Within a few days we will launch the online application process in Pune. After that we are looking at Nagpur. We will then launch the online process in Mumbai in another week.”
One enrollment centre can only give limited (50-150) coupons on a single day. In a step towards solving such problems, the authorities are planning to go online, to make the process simpler, faster and user-friendly. Explained Satnam Singh Sethi Chief Operating Officer (COO), Maha Online Ltd, “We ran a successful trial in Pune. Within a few days we will launch the online application process in Pune. After that we are looking at Nagpur. We will then launch the online process in Mumbai in another week.”
Sethi says, the online process will be much easier as, “people can fill in as well as submit their forms online where they can specify the name of the enrollment centre as well as the date of registration. They will also receive an SMS, specifying the time, when they need to arrive at their enrollment centres . This will save people the trouble of waiting for long hours in queues. They can just arrive at the given time and get themselves registered.”
Success
Authorities claim that the Aadhaar programme has been quite successful in Maharashtra. “We have assumed that population of Mumbai is 1 crore 25 lakh and 18 per cent of the entire population have already registered themselves under the UID project,” said Mahesh Narvekar, Chief Officer of the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Narvekar, who also takes care of the UID programme in Mumbai, highlighted that a paucity of machines at various enrollment centres is also a problem. Reiterating the success of the UID scheme in Maharashtra, Bhogle said, “We have started the Aadhaar scheme in almost 35 districts in Maharashtra, which is one of the highest in India. Information is available at various websites. Detailed information of various zones and enrollment centres are also given. So there should not be any problem.” Aadhaar is a long-term programme, hence the government is looking at another two years for everyone to have their UID numbers.
“It is not a 15 days programme and people don’t have to rush to enrollment centres for registration. More centres will come up in Mumbai and the process will go online soon. So there is no need to panic,” said Bhogle.
Authorities claim that the Aadhaar programme has been quite successful in Maharashtra. “We have assumed that population of Mumbai is 1 crore 25 lakh and 18 per cent of the entire population have already registered themselves under the UID project,” said Mahesh Narvekar, Chief Officer of the Disaster Management Cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Narvekar, who also takes care of the UID programme in Mumbai, highlighted that a paucity of machines at various enrollment centres is also a problem. Reiterating the success of the UID scheme in Maharashtra, Bhogle said, “We have started the Aadhaar scheme in almost 35 districts in Maharashtra, which is one of the highest in India. Information is available at various websites. Detailed information of various zones and enrollment centres are also given. So there should not be any problem.” Aadhaar is a long-term programme, hence the government is looking at another two years for everyone to have their UID numbers.
“It is not a 15 days programme and people don’t have to rush to enrollment centres for registration. More centres will come up in Mumbai and the process will go online soon. So there is no need to panic,” said Bhogle.
What is Aadhaar?
Aadhaar is a 12-digit Unique Identification (UID) number, which the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is issuing for all Indian residents. Once an individual is on the Aadhaar database, the identity of a person can be established easily. Aadhaar will become the single source of identity verification
Aadhaar is a 12-digit Unique Identification (UID) number, which the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is issuing for all Indian residents. Once an individual is on the Aadhaar database, the identity of a person can be established easily. Aadhaar will become the single source of identity verification
* Fingerprints of a woman is taken on a biometric machine at an enrollment centre in Andheri(W)
* Enrollment form
* Ranjana Sadashiv Sonavne, first recipient of the UID card in Tembhli village
* People waiting outside Tata Municipal School in Andheri (W) to submit their registration form