SHOAIB SHAIKH | NT Staff Reporter
PANAJI: Even as a government authority has claimed that around 103 per cent adults in the state have obtained the unique identity under the AADHAAR card, a random check indicates otherwise.
Data reveals that around 93 per cent of Goa’s population has registered for the AADHAAR card. According to data provided by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which is the AADHAAR card issuing authority, as on July 20, 2016, 93.33 per cent of the state’s population is covered under the scheme.
The data reveals that 11,70,716 individuals in the age group of 18 years and above have been registered for AADHAAR, while the population in this age group as per the 2015 estimate is 11,37,956. The data indicates 102.88 per cent coverage of individuals in this age group.
However, during a random check by this daily, it has been found that many urban as well as rural youth in the state have not registered themselves for the deemed crucial document. The number and percentage is also not convincing, as a number of aged persons are also found to have not been registered.
A youth from Vasco who has not registered yet for the AADHAAR card said that the apprehension of the data being outsourced to unwanted elements has been the reason for the boycott. “Since the time this registration process has been launched, we have come across numerous incidents wherein data has been shared to private entities. This raises doubts on the security of vital details of our identity,” he said.
Another young lady from Porvorim stated that since long, the matter had been pending before the Supreme Court and the legality of the AADHAAR card was in question until the Parliament passed the Bill. She said, “When something is not legal then going through the process makes no sense to me. Though the card may have its benefits, the misuse of the information should also not be ignored. Being cautious is always beneficial as one never knows what the government is up to.”
She further questioned the rationale of the government agencies behind making the card a compulsory document for various government procedures. “Even now the Supreme Court has observed that AADHAAR card should not be made compulsory, yet it is demanded by every government authority,” she said.
Meanwhile, UIDAI state resource person Nikunj Dineshkumar Vasani informed that around 300-400 forms are received at the UIDAI centres in the state on a daily basis. He said, “Apart from fresh applications, forms are received for correction purposes too.”
However, according to the data, he said that only 18.71 per cent of children below five years of age and 83.60 per cent registration in the age group of 5 to 18 years have been achieved. “We are now expecting parents to come along with their children to our centres and get their children registered. With this, we will be closer to achieving complete coverage,” he said.
In addition, with the Supreme Court ruling to provide a status to the LGBT community, a total of 166 individuals have been registered as transgender.
Recently, making a presentation at the 11th meeting of Inter-State Council in New Delhi, Goa’s Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar had stated that the state would achieve 100 per cent coverage of its population under Aadhaar card project of the central government by August 2016.
The Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana (DDSSY), the flagship health insurance scheme of the BJP-led Goa government, has also mandated the AADHAAR card for the scheme.