AADHAAR – Enrolled Twice But Still Waiting For My Aadhaar Card

AADHAAR – Enrolled Twice But Still Waiting For My Aadhaar Card

If the new Government is serious about Aadhaar it needs to revamp UIDAI and make it accountable.

Here is my Aadhaar Story – I enrolled twice for my Aadhaar Card and on both occasions UIDAI bungled in data processing.

Despite repeated complaints for the past two years, there has been I have not received a satisfactory resolution from UIDAI and my Aadhaar Card has still not been delivered to me.

I am a Military Veteran, a citizen of India, with bonafide antecedents, but UIDAI refuses to give me a Aadhaar Card, whereas I have seen media reports of Aadhaar Cards being issued to illegal immigrants and foreigners who are not citizens of India.

The lackadaisical attitude of UIDAI pains me – maybe UIDAI feels it is not accountable to anyone.

I wrote this blog post in January 2014.

I am posting it once more for your perusal.

I want an Aadhaar Card.

I have made repeated efforts to get an Aadhaar Card.

I have enrolled, I have re-enrolled – but till today I have not received my Aadhaar Card.

My numerous complaints have not been satisfactorily resolved by the UIDAI.

Let me tell about my efforts to get an Aadhaar Card.

FIRST AADHAAR ENROLMENT

I first enrolled for Aadhaar on 08 February 2012 (08/02/2012).

The enrolment centre was located in a leading IT Software Company in Pune and Enrolment Agency was “Tera Software Ltd”

There was a big rush and I had to wait for more than 3 hours in a queue before I was enrolled.

I was issued an acknowledgement receipt with an enrolment number.

I did not receive my Aadhaar Card for over 6 months despite repeated reminders from my side.

On checking Aadhaar Status on the UIDAI website, the status would show: “Your Aadhaar Number is under generation”.

Suddenly, 10 months after enrolment, in November 2012, the status said: “Your Aadhaar enrolment could not be processed due to data process error. Please re-enroll yourself at the nearest enrolment centre”

SECOND AADHAAR RE - ENROLMENT

Accordingly, I re-enrolled myself for Aadhaar for a second time on 10 December 2012 (10/12/2012).

The Enrolment Centre was located in IDBI Bank Hinjewadi Pune and the Enrolment Agency was “Sreeven Infocom Limited”.

I explained to the lady enroller that my first Aadhaar enrolment had failed due to data process error and asked her to be extra careful and ensure that my data was collected properly.

The enroller took due care and confirmed to me that my biometric details had been recorded perfectly.

She also cross-checked my documents of Proof of Identity (PAN Card), Proof of Address (Electricity Bill in my name) and even took a Date of Birth proof document from me and attached photocopies of all these documents to the form which she was forwarding.

She assured me that I would receive my Aadhaar Card within 3 months.

I was issued an acknowledgement receipt with an enrolment number.

This time the Aadhaar enrolment acknowledgement form had additional comments like “Good Fingerprint Quality”, “Biometrics Captured Fingers (10) Iris (2) Face” etc.

I eagerly waited for my Aadhaar card.

Unfortunately, exactly the same sequence of events happened as had taken place during the first Aadhaar Enrolment.

For the first few months the status report said: “Your Aadhaar Number is under generation”.

After more than 6 months had elapsed, the Aadhaar status said: “Your Aadhaar enrolment could not be processed due to data process error. Please re-enroll yourself at the nearest enrolment centre”

Why was “data process error” occurring again and again?

What exactly are these “data processing errors” which were happening more than 6 months after enrolment?

I sent emails to UIDAI ( E-Mail id: help@uidai.gov.in ) and filled up online grievance redressal form, but I did not receive satisfactory response from UIDAI, and my case remains unresolved.

It seemed that things were moving in a circle and I was destined not to get an Aadhaar Card.

APATHETIC GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL SYSTEM OF UIDAI

It has been my experience that the UIDAI Grievance Redressal Mechanism is totally ineffective.

Since I am keen to get an Aadhaar Card and I do not want the same “data process error” to happen again and again, I made a number of complaints by email / helpline but did not receive any satisfactory response.

The only response to my complaints and grievances I received was a call from the UIDAI Mumbai Office that I should re-enroll once again (for the third time) and try my luck.

I asked the official: “This time can you please guarantee that that there will be no “data processing errors” and can you assure me that I will receive my Aadhaar Card?”

He laughed it off, saying: “Who can guarantee anything? The whole enrolment process has been outsourced to private companies. You re-enroll once more and try your luck. If your Aadhaar generation fails again, you keep trying again and again.”

This reply from UIDAI left me bewildered. I did not know whether to laugh or cry.

A few days ago, I discussed my Aadhaar woes with a friend of mine, who said matter-of-factly, “You have spent all your life in uniform serving in the Defence Services, so you don’t know anything about the outside world. In India, you cannot get anything done unless you pay a bribe.”

I was aghast.

“Do you have to pay a bribe for an Aadhaar Card?”

At first I did not believe my friend.

But then I read a news report that an Aadhaar enroller had been caught taking bribes for making Aadhaar Cards. 

What is worse, media has reported many such Aadhaar Scams where if you paid bribes you could get an Aadhaar Card made even without the necessary documents:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/cobrapost-sting-reveals-aadhaar-fraud/article1-1200003.aspx

https://aamjanata.com/cobrapost-exposes-rampant-corruption-in-uid-aadhaar-cards/

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Aadhaar-card-scam-unearthed-in-Hyderabad/articleshow/12888048.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Aadhaar-scam-did-not-stop-with-kingpin/articleshow/12916396.cms

If corruption is rampant in the Aadhaar Enrolment System, it is no wonder that even illegal immigrants who are not citizens of India are being issued Aadhaar Cards, as frequent news reports say:

21 ILLEGAL BANGLADESHI IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT WITH AADHAAR CARDS

http://www.myaadhaarcard.in/aadhaar-news/21-illegal-bangladeshi-immigrants-caught-with-aadhar-and-voter-card/

DO NOT ISSUE AADHAAR CARDS TO ILLEGALIMMIGRANTS, SUPREME COURT TELL GOVERNMENT

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/don-t-issue-aadhar-cards-to-illegal-immigrants-supreme-court-tells-centre-422374

DO YOU HAVE TO PAY A BRIBE TO GET AADHAAR CARD?

The Government keeps saying that Aadhaar Card is voluntary.

But in actual fact they are making it compulsory by making Aadhaar mandatory for LPG subsidized cylinders and other requirements.

A retired defence officer told me that soon veteran armed forces ex-servicemen of the army navy and air force will not be able to avail medical treatment under ECHS unless they had an Aadhaar Card.

The more they make anything compulsory, the more the scope for corruption.

Will the virus of corruption infect the UIDAI Aadhaar System too?

The UIDAI was headed by Mr. Nandan Nilekani, a distinguished technocrat who has achieved outstanding success in the IT Industry (at the time of writing this article).

My repeated efforts at obtaining an Aadhaar Card in an honest manner have failed, so let me ask UIDAI a simple question: “Do I have to pay a bribe to get an Aadhaar Card?”

Now that the UIDAI is headless, I want to ask the same question to the new government?

Or will the UIDAI send me my Aadhaar Card at the earliest?

Sometimes I laugh at the irony of our system:

A Military Veteran, who is a bonafide citizen of India with impeccable antecedents, and who has served the nation in uniform for his entire career life, is denied an Aadhaar Card, while media reports that large numbers of illegal immigrants who are not citizens of India are being issued Aadhaar Cards

I do not know whether to laugh or cry at our system of governance.

Please give me “Aadhaar”  ...