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NEWS ALERTS | No ID means no UID
No ID means no UID

No ID means no UID

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published Published on Jun 3, 2015   modified Modified on May 6, 2016
It is difficult for a person to get aadhaar card/number if s/he does not have pre-existing proofs of identity and address.

It has been revealed from a reply to RTI application that only 2.19 lakh aadhaar numbers have been issued to people who did not have any other prior identity proof, which is just 0.03% of total aadhaar numbers generated so far.

The RTI reply dated 28 April, 2015 by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to one Ujjainee Sharma of Delhi says that number of aadhaar generated based on introducer as on date was nearly 2.19 lakhs.

As compared to the total number of aadhaar generated so far i.e. 83.5 crore, only a miniscule 0.03% were issued to people without pre-existing identity or address proofs.

This also means that one is required to have valid proofs of identity and address so as to get one's aadhaar number/ card.

It is worth mentioning that as per the 2010 Strategy Overview of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), an inability to prove identity is one of the biggest barriers preventing the poor from accessing benefits and subsidies. The entire UID project was ostensibly aimed at solving this problem. Despite all efforts being made since the last 6 years, 99.97% aadhaar cards/numbers have been issued so far to only those who already had prior identity documents.

The Annual Finance and Budgets of UIDAI shows that Rs. 5980.62 crore have been spent between 2009-10 and 2014-15, out of which three-quarter has been spent on revenue expenditure and the rest on capital expenditure (please click here to access excel sheet). Despite spending such a huge sum of public money since 2009-10, the UID project has been unable to reach out to those people who had no identity proof and, therefore, could not access their entitlements.

It is worth noting that in order to get aadhaar number, one is required to get himself/herself enrolled first. For enrolling oneself, two valid proofs (one for identity and another for address) are required to be submitted, apart from the proof of date of birth. In case one does not have valid proofs, the applicant can take alongwith someone as 'introducer' who already has enrolled with the UIDAI in the beginning. The 'introducer' can be someone who is the 'head of family' or someone who is an outsider but known to the applicant. However, s/he should have aadhaar number to be eligible for introducing someone (see point 11 of aadhaar enrollment form).

The 'introducer' is supposed to verify applicant's identity and address.

Earlier, in the 42nd report on the National Identification Authority of India Bill (2010), the Standing Committee on Finance (2011-12) under Ministry of Planning (headed by Yashwant Sinha) had found that the Ministry of Home Affairs raised serious security concern over the efficacy of introducer system. The Committee report had said that the possibility of possession of aadhaar numbers by illegal residents through false affidavits / introducer system cannot be ruled out.

At present, it is difficult to assess how many persons are living in India without valid identity proofs. Civil society activists are complaining that the current mechanism of issuing aadhaar numbers to those with valid documents may not help those persons who have no identity/ address proof at all, particularly if the latter have a sizeable population. In case the population of persons without identity is not so huge, it can be asked why tall claims were then made that aadhaar can provide access to entitlements by the poor.

Key facts from the Strategy Overview (2010) document of UIDAI:

* In India, an inability to prove identity is one of the biggest barriers preventing the poor from accessing benefits and subsidies.

* Public as well as private sector agencies across the country typically require proof of identity before providing individuals with services. But till date, there remains no nationally accepted, verified identity number that both residents and agencies can use with ease and confidence.

* As a result, every time an individual tries to access a benefit or service, they must undergo a full cycle of identity verification. Different service providers also often have different requirements in the documents they demand, the forms that require filling out, and the information they collect on the individual.

* Such duplication of effort and 'identity silos' increase overall costs of identification, and cause extreme inconvenience to the individual. This approach is especially unfair to India's poor and underprivileged residents, who usually lack identity documentation, and find it difficult to meet the costs of multiple verification processes.

* There are clearly, immense benefits from a mechanism that uniquely identifies a person, and ensures instant identity verification. The need to prove identity only once will bring down transaction costs for the poor.

* A clear identity number would also transform the delivery of social welfare programs by making them more inclusive of communities now cut off from such benefits due to their lack of identification. It would enable the government to shift from indirect to direct benefits, and help verify whether the intended beneficiaries actually receive funds/subsidies.

* The Government of India undertook an effort to provide a clear identity to residents first in 1993, with the issue of photo identity cards by the Election Commission. Subsequently in 2003, the Government approved the Multipurpose National Identity Card (MNIC).

* The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) was established in January 2009, as an attached office to the Planning Commission. The purpose of the UIDAI is to issue a unique identification number (UID) to all Indian residents that is (a) robust enough to eliminate duplicate and fake identities, and (b) can be verified and authenticated in an easy, cost-effective way. The UIDAI's approach will keep in mind the learnings from the government's previous efforts at issuing identity.

For further details, please contact Reetika Khera (9958801227, reetika.khera@gmail.com).

References:

Strategy Overview of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), April, 2010 (please click here to access)

RTI reponse to Ujjainee Sharma from UIDAI on aadhaar, 28 April, 2015 (please click here to access)

Finance & Budgets of UIDAI: Annual Budget (please click here to access)

42nd report on the National Identification Authority of India Bill (2010), the Standing Committee on Finance (2011-12) under Ministry of Planning (headed by Yashwant Sinha), Please click here to access
 
And the Unique Identification Juggernaut Keeps Rolling On -Reetika Khera, 3 June, 2015, The Wire
 
Image Courtesy: UNDP India


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