Brake on special Aadhaar camps in Bengal 'UIDAI will not give permission to hold any special camp across the state in the near future'

Pranesh Sarkar, TT, 9.02.20, Calcutta: The Unique Identification Authority of India has decided against giving permission for setting up special Aadhaar camps in Bengal after two bank employees were arrested and non-bailable charges slapped on them following complaints that the forms they had distributed “sought NPR” numbers.

A senior government official said the UIDAI had taken the decision after a form with a field for “NPR Receipt/TIN Number” had been distributed at a special camp in Watgunge in Calcutta prompting people to fear that an NRC-like exercise was being carried out.

The state reacted promptly after the Watgunge incident. Apart from lodging cases against the bank employees following a complaint by a resident, the Calcutta Municipal Corporation asked the UIDAI to stop operating the special camps in the city. The camps were being organised following request from the CMC.

A source said bank officials working at the Watgunge camp had issued an old rectification form, which had a field for “NPR Receipt/TIN Number”. The form had been in use till 2016 and later, the column was omitted and a new form was printed. All 1,600-odd permanent Aadhaar centres use the new form, which has no mention of the NPR number.

“The bank officials made a silly mistake. The issue could have been handled properly. The reaction by the state has created panic among bank and post-office employees and they are not ready to hold any special camps in the state,” said the source.

The special camp, where the trouble occurred, was being operated following a request from the CMC for Aadhaar enrolment or update because of paucity of permanent centres.

“The CMC asked the UIDAI to stop holding special camps following the Watgunge incident. Such camps were being held in 16 wards. The UIDAI will not give permission to hold any special camp across the state in the near future,” said an official.

According to sources, such special camps were held to help inmates of old-age homes or orphanages, who face trouble in reaching permanent centres to enroll or update Aadhaar cards. The decision by the UIDAI might leave a section of the citizens in a trouble.

“Not only this section of people, those in more than 120 wards in Calcutta will also face trouble because of the rush for updating Aadhaar in the backdrop of ongoing agitation against amended citizenship law and an NRC-like exercise. The problem will be much more in rural areas where people are securing a date after two years to update their Aadhaar,” said a source.

Calcutta has only 100-odd permanent Aadhaar centres after the state had withdrawn from the process of handling the process. “The number is very less given the city’s 40-lakh odd population, particularly because each centre entertains 15 applications a day. Special camps could have helped people struggling to enroll or update Aadhaar. But the decision to close down all the special camps will create trouble for common people,” said a government official.

The official further said as there had been no such complaint in the past, the problem could have been resolved by ensuring that no old form was used at the special camps.