Hyderabad, August 02: Aadhaar cards registration rate has decreased by 60 per cent after officials recently announced the Aadhaar number is not mandatory for booking LPG refills, getting rations or availing government schemes.
In Hyderabad district, about 39,000 people used to register their names on an average everyday. But on Monday, just 15,000 people registered their names after officials announced it is a volunteer programme, said Aadhaar in-charge and assistant supply officer MS Seshagiri Rao.
Director of civil supplies KRBHN Chakravarthy admitted the state government had announced the Aadhaar number was mandatory in order to speed up the registration process.
“But it created some panic in people, so the government had to re-announce it was not a must,” he added. However, the ploy worked in Hyderabad as 93 percent people have registered for Aadhaar cards, Chakravarthy said. When asked why such a statement was made even though there was no confirmation from the issuing authority Unique Identification Authority of India, he said, “The Government of India wants to have every citizen’s details so it can access accurate data during distribution of scheme benefits and thus curb illegal activities.” He added the Aadhaar card might be made mandatory in the near future.
Meanwhile, civil society organisations like Deccan Development Society, National Alliance of People’s Movements and Human Rights Law Network are demanding the project be scrapped and have launched campaigns against Aadhaar card registrations. Deccan Development Society director PV Satheesh said, “Making biometric measurements like fingerprints and retinal profile compulsory for procuring the card is a fascist way of bringing a citizen under submission. By documenting every minute detail of citizens, the measure is an intrusion into their privacy.”
Supplies commissioner Harpreet Singh said, “At present, the Aadhaar card is not linked to any government schemes as it is a volunteer registration. The project will not be stopped until all citizens have registered their names, as the government hopes to root out corruption by having accurate details of citizens.”
–Agencies