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Cyber cafes located adjacent to Aadhaar centres in the district encashing loopholes in the system

An inordinate delay in delivery of Aadhaar cards and urgency among the people to obtain the cards, has made the citizens unnecessarily shell out extra bucks to get the temporary printouts of their unique identity cards. Though UIDAI started the provision of issuing cards electronically in a bid to help people in a hurry to get the cards, it has not gone down well with people.

With a large number of Aadhaar cards not despatched for months and years due to the delay in printing and obstacles in postal system, majority of not so tech-savy residents in Dakshina Kannada district, who approach Aadhaar enrolment centres enquiring about the card, are directed by the centre’s staff to visit the cyber cafes located nearby and obtain the temporary card by paying Rs 50.

This has made the citizens, who are already in a state of confusion over the status of Aadhaar, to wonder why they have to shell out money to get the card, when they are supposed to get it for free.

It could be noted that a few states have made arrangements to provide temporary Aadhaar card printouts to the people, through the gas agencies at a nominal cost of Rs 5 or 10. In fact, the government run website, apna.csc.gov.in, has declared that print of Aadhaar cards is available through the Common Service Centres (CSCs) and they are made available in three formats including black and white or colour print at Rs 10, depending on the infrastructure available at the CSC.

With no such arrangements made in the district, people who are in a hurry to get the card to avail government services, blindly rush to the cyber centres to get the coloured printout with lamination.

Cyber cafes located adjacent to the Aadhaar enrolment centres are encashing this loophole in the system, and are involved in the business of getting the printouts of the card done for the needy.

Long wait

Retired medical professor based in Mangalore, Dr A M Bhat said that he had enrolled for Aadhaar in December 2012, but he has not received the card yet.

“Recently, I visited Aadhaar enrolment centre at Aadhaar enrolment centre in Mallikatta enquiring about the delay in receiving the card. A staff in the centre pointed at a cyber cafe adjacent to the enrolment centre, asking me to get the Aadhaar card printed and laminated by paying Rs 50,” he told Deccan Herald.

The professor alleged that the staff in enrolment centres were misguiding people to get the colour printout with lamination by paying the amount in the cyber centre. “When we are going to get the original card sometime in future, why are we supposed to pay the amount for a temporary card,” he asked.

Unplanned system

City based Nagarika Hithrakshana Samithi President Hanumanth Kamath alleged that people are misguided and looted in the name of Aadhaar. There might be a nexus between the staff of Aadhaar enrolment centres and the cyber cafes, he suspected.
Kamath also demanded the State government to make provision in Aadhaar centres or common service centres to issue temporary cards to people in case of emergency, at minimum price.

However, Additional Deputy Commissioner K Dayanand clarified that no such arrangement was made in the district and people will have to either wait for the original card or get the printout done outside.