A couple of days back a young man came to the office and immediately started crying. A healthy man. I was a bit perplexed. 1/n
Before even I could ask him to sit down, sobbing, he said, mera Aadhaar banwa do sir. 6 saal hogya hai. Jeena hi mushkil hogya hai ab.
Arre, enrol kar lona. Rone ka kya baat hai isme? I asked. 2/n
Arre, enrol kar lona. Rone ka kya baat hai isme? I asked. 2/n
Sir, 6-7 baar enrol kar chuka hun ab. Baar baar reject ho raha hai.. koi naukri bhi nahi deta uske bina ab. He complained.
Give me your enrolment slip. I will check the status and tell. I assured him. 3/n
Give me your enrolment slip. I will check the status and tell. I assured him. 3/n
He immediately pulled some 5-6 enrolment slips. From 2013 to 2018. He had kept it all safe.
And I started entering them in the resident.uidai website. I was sure I will be able to solve his problem. Some positivity for the day. 4/n
And I started entering them in the resident.uidai website. I was sure I will be able to solve his problem. Some positivity for the day. 4/n
You see, it is very rare to be able to solve someone's problem immediately in the office. It takes a lot of follow up. But this I could do I was sure.
And I started entering enrolment number and date.
And I started entering enrolment number and date.
Rejected due to enrolment error it said. Tried the next one. Said the same. I tried all of them. All said the same.
'Rejected due to enrolment error'.
How can that happen!
He is looking at me with hope. I am the district collector you see. I should be able to solve it!!!
'Rejected due to enrolment error'.
How can that happen!
He is looking at me with hope. I am the district collector you see. I should be able to solve it!!!
And I was helpless. So I called a senior officer at UIDAI and explained the problem.
He was very helpful. Told me that this might have happened due to some mistake in the initial enrolment during fingerprint scanning. Someone else's finger might have got scanned. 7/n
He was very helpful. Told me that this might have happened due to some mistake in the initial enrolment during fingerprint scanning. Someone else's finger might have got scanned. 7/n
Happens in a small percentage of cases. And it gets very complicated to resolve.
But he will contact bangalore and try his best to get it resolved. He assured me.
We scanned all the enrolment slips and forwarded it. 8/n
But he will contact bangalore and try his best to get it resolved. He assured me.
We scanned all the enrolment slips and forwarded it. 8/n
What struck me was that how a small percentage of error for UIDAI becomes life or death for individuals.
It was not at all about getting benefits under schemes.
That young man felt his existence was under threat as even private job providers had started mandating Aadhaar. 9/n
It was not at all about getting benefits under schemes.
That young man felt his existence was under threat as even private job providers had started mandating Aadhaar. 9/n
And I feel it is this, the killer efficiency and ruthless ubiquitousness that makes the whole Aadhaar project a scary prospect. Not just the possibility of a potential misuse!
And I am in no way disputing the benefits arising out of Aadhaar. It is tremendous.
Nevertheless!
And I am in no way disputing the benefits arising out of Aadhaar. It is tremendous.
Nevertheless!
Details emerging that after the initial rejection, he tried to alter record of another person's Aadhaar in which his fingerprint was taken & that further complicated the issue.
As earlier mentioned, we should not be blind to the benefits as well. It cannot be denied that Aadhaar gave identity to scores of people, especially migrant population who were not having an identity earlier.
