• Correction of errors and data in Aadhaar card can be done online by any individual
• Private centres charging Rs. 200-500 per correction or enrolment of Aadhaar card
Ashikho Pfuzhe
Dimapur | November 8
In the interim period as Nagaland transitions into a State under the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Aadhaar enrolment has come to a standstill except in the districts of Dimapur and Kohima.
In the commercial hub, due to public demand, ‘In Media Computer Services LLP’, an Aadhaar enrolment agency in Nagaland, was requested to continue its services at DC Dimapur office complex for another 3 months. But presently the DC office centre is not issuing any new Aadhaar forms and only working on the backlog data captures.
An order issued by DC Dimapur dated September 20, 2016, stated “In view of the termination of Aadhaar operators by the company, issue and receipt of new Aadhaar forms is hereby suspended till further notice. The operators are also directed to complete the capturing of biometrics of those applicants who had submitted their forms at the earliest.”
“Initially, after the company stopped paying salary to the operators, the centre charged Rs. 20 per form and another Rs. 20 for bio metric capture for payment of salary to 5-6 operators and to meet other expenses like fuel for generator and stationery. But the amount charged was not enough to meet expenses so the form fee was further hiked. The public complained and so issuing of forms was stopped,” said a source who was involved in the Aadhaar enrollment process.
There are also cases where individuals have gone through the data capture process at the DC office centre several times and so far received no confirmation of their Aadhaaar generation status. When queried, SDO (C) Dimapur, James Swu, who is also sub-district registrar of the Aadhaar exercise under NPS, said there are three probable reasons for such cases: bad quality of fingerprint, iris and some data getting lost on the way.
The SDO said problem of fingerprint quality should not arise except in rare cases like old persons suffering from diabetes in which the fine lines of the fingerprint gets distorted or damaged. Likewise, the iris quality may depend on the focus of the camera or the person posing for the shot. “We send the data to head office in Hyderabad and only after they reject saying fingerprint or iris quality is not good we come to know as we don’t have the equipment to determine whether iris or fingerprint quality is good or bad,” James said.
On possibility of data being hacked on the way, James admitted he has no explanation; “some data are getting lost on the way. We upload the data captured but some never reach Hyderabad,” he said.
In Kohima, Clairvoyance Technologies Pvt. Ltd., another enrolment agency is continuing with Aadhaar enrolment at the Census Directorate.
Meanwhile in Dimapur, there are reports that private companies and individuals (brokers) are conducting enrolment. However, it could not be ascertained whether this was being done with authorization from the district administration. “Two months back some persons came to our colony along with the biometric equipment and captured our data. They charged Rs. 500 each from every person who came for the enrolment. Now I have downloaded my Aadhaar card online,” disclosed a Dimapur resident.
Earlier, it was also reported that the Zunheboto district administration closed down an unauthorized private company running the Aadhaar enrolment business after it came to the notice of the administration that the company was charging an exorbitant Rs. 500 per person.
In Dimapur, a couple of private centres are still doing the Aadhaar enrolment, ‘correction’ and charging Rs. 200-500 per correction or enrolment.
“Correction of errors and data in the Aadhaar card can be done online by any individual at home or through vendors and is outside the jurisdiction of RGI. But for enrolment and biometrics, the district administration should be aware and kept posted,” RGI sources said.
