Chief Secretary chairs UIDIC Meeting for 100% Aadhar enrollment

SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta on Tuesday  impressed upon all the concerned Departments to ensure 100 percent Aadhaar registration of individuals by activating all the enrollment centres run by them and optimum utilization of available gadgets.

He made the directions while chairing a meeting of the Unique Identification Implementation Committee (UIDIC) here at Civil Secretariat.

The meeting was attended by Administrative Secretaries, officials from UIDAI, Divisional Commissioners Kashmir/Jammu and representatives from various government departments.

Commissioner Secretary, IT, Prerna Puri, commenced the proceedings by presenting an overview of the Aadhaar situation in Jammu and Kashmir. It was reported that till date, 121,96,367 Aadhaar numbers have been generated, resulting in a saturation of over 90 percent population in the UT.

A breakdown of Aadhaar saturation for different age groups was also given out which include 0-5 years: 60.70%, 5-18 years: 89.2% and above 18 years: 92.4%.

Despite the positive progress, concerns were raised about lagging behind the national average in the 0-5 years age group.

The meeting focused on the urgent need for document updation by residents who have not updated their Aadhaar details in the last 10 years. In this context, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has disseminated pamphlets and posters across all blocks of Jammu and Kashmir to raise awareness regarding document updates.

An action plan was devised during the meeting to address the challenges and expedite the Aadhaar registration process which includes preparation of School-wise and class-wise lists of children requiring Mandatory Biometric Updates (MBUs); roster for the movement of MBU kits in the schools, besides roping in Health and ICDS for the enrollment of children in the age group of 0-5 years.

Dr Mehta called upon Deputy Director General UIDAI, Regional Office Chandigarh, that awareness campaigns be conducted by the School Education Department at all locations, besides efforts to increase the turnout in schools.

Regarding the availability of functional Aadhaar centers, it was reported that 780 permanent centers and 450 mobile tablets are operational throughout the UT. The Chief Secretary urged for activation of all these centres and optimum utilization of their resources in order to bridge the gap between the actual population and registrations made so far.

In an effort to cover all school students under Aadhaar registration, Dr Mehta directed concerned officers to ensure that 100 percent of students in schools, including those not yet registered under Aadhaar, are included within the next six months. He also emphasized on the importance of registering for Aadhaar during births, whether in government-run or private hospitals in order to saturate it on real time basis.

Furthermore, the Chief Secretary urged all officers involved to raise awareness about the Aadhaar updation process by ensuring 100 percent functionality of all Aadhaar centers.

The meeting also highlighted the approval of proposals under the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Rules, 2020. Some of the approved proposals include the eKYC registration of Yatris by Shri Amarnath ji Shrine Board at all counters across J&K, authentication of applicants for property-related documents by the Department of Registration, DBT linked beneficiary oriented schemes and authentication of applicants for Domicile Certificates by the Revenue Department.

Dr Mehta reaffirmed that with the comprehensive plan in place and the commitment of all stakeholders, Jammu and Kashmir aims to achieve full Aadhaar registration, ensuring seamless services and enhancement in quality governance for its citizens.