Aadhaar wait just got longer in Assam

Racing to meet NRC deadline, Dispur now asked by UIDAI to engage only government machinery for Aadhaar

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Dec 18: Much ado about nothing. That’s what the much-awaited enrolment for Aadhaar in Assam is seemingly turning out to be. And the wait for the 12-digit unique identity number for people of the State has just gotten longer, what with Dispur preoccupied with the NRC update exercise.

After all the planning and drawing up of strategies, the entire initiative has come a cropper as Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the nodal agency issuing Aadhaar — now wants only the government machinery to carry out Aadhaar drive — and not private parties as per earlier rule.  

As already reported in The Sentinel earlier, the stage was all set for Aadhaar enrolment with Dispur making General Administration Department (GAD) the State Registrar, besides constituting a committee with Chief Secretary as Chairman to oversee the entire process. 

All necessary measures were put in place to kick-start the process smoothly, including necessary administrative mechanism. The GAD had even floated request for bid (RFB) in this regard and fixed 6th December as the last date for submission of RFBs. Only private agencies empanelled with UIDAI were eligible to participate in the bidding process. 

The State was also divided into 10 zones for the purpose and altogether 7,986 enrolment centres were proposed to be set up for the purpose, of which 5,985 would have been permanent centres, while the remaining were proposed to be mobile centres for covering remote and difficult-to-access areas of the State. Further, the GAD had issued instructions to Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Sub-divisiol Officers (Civil) to identify buildings and locations where enrolment centres could be set up.

In fact, there were indications that the exercise would take off by December-end or January next year.

However, after all these arrangements, the entire process has now come to a grinding halt following UIDAI red-flagging it. UIDAI had sent a missive to the GAD asking it to put the entire exercise on hold at the last moment as there was a case before the Supreme Court filed by one individual concerning privacy issue, and the Centre had subsequently taken a decision to involve only government employees for the purpose of Aadhaar enrolment. 

UIDAI has also issued other instructions to the GAD for the purpose of enrolment, including that all DCs be made enrolment agents, scrutiny of documents be made only by government employees and that enrolment centres be set up only in government offices and establishments. 

However, with all the DCs and necessary State government staff being totally engrossed with update of tiol Register of Citizens (NRC), the first part draft of which is scheduled to be published on New Year’s Day, Aadhaar enrolment in Assam is now set to take a backseat. 

Further, after the NRC’s first part draft is published, the DCs and other State government staff will get busy with publishing the subsequent drafts as the Supreme Court is keeping close tabs on the entire exercise. 

So, under the circumstances, the Aadhaar enrolment exercise in Assam is unlikely to begin any time soon, government sources confirmed. Enrolment for the 12-digit unique identity number was supposed to have been completed in 2018.

However, with the Supreme Court having fixed 31st March 2018 as deadline for the government to link all bank accounts with Aadhaar in the country, it remains to be seen what really transpires vis-à-vis people in Assam and few other States who are still outside its ambit.