Govt to extend UIDAI enrolment

The government is likely to allow the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues unique identification numbers to residents, to start enrolments in areas other than the 18 states and Union Territories that it had already been allocated for the purpose.

According to an official source, the Cabinet Committee on the UIDAI will on Thursday discuss a proposal for the Planning Commission to allow the authority to start enrolments in areas that have not been a part of its mandated operations. Giving the UIDAI this allowance would expedite the process of capturing biometric details of residents. 

Earlier, the government had given the UIDAI the task of capturing biometric details of 60 crore residents in 18 states and Union Territories, while allocating 61 crore to Registrar General of India (RGI), which was tasked with the provision of National Population Registry (NPR) multipurpose identity cards.

However, the UIDAI has so far issued only 56 crore Aadhaar cards to residents, whereas under NPR, the RGI has enrolled a mere 14 crore. With the government wanting to speed up its scheme of rolling out direct benefit schemes, the Planning Commission is pushing for the swift entry of residents’ biometric details. “The commission discussed the proposal with the Registrar General of India (RGI) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. They have agreed that UIDAI can be allowed to enrol in some states where they are collecting biometrics details of residents, to speed up enrolments,” said an official.