Una, August 4: A meeting of the District-Level Aadhaar Monitoring Committee was held today at the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Una, Ishant Jaswal. During the meeting, he held detailed discussions on various aspects, including Aadhaar enrollment, biometric updates, document updates, mobile number updates, and ensuring that Aadhaar services reach the last person in the district.
The ADC stated that Aadhaar has become a crucial document linked to various government services, scholarships, competitive examinations, banking, and social security schemes. Consequently, ensuring easy and timely access to Aadhaar services for every eligible citizen is a priority for the district administration.
He directed the concerned departments to work in coordination to increase Aadhaar coverage among children aged 0–5 years by providing enrollment facilities at vaccination centers and conducting enrollment drives through Anganwadi centers.
The ADC informed that specific fees have been prescribed for Aadhaar services. New Aadhaar enrollment and biometric updates will remain completely free of charge. A fee of ?75 has been set for demographic and document updates, and ?125 for non-mandatory biometric updates. Additionally, under a special discount scheme during the ongoing special campaign, biometric updates for children in the 7–17 age group will be free until September 30.
The ADC directed that available resources be utilized effectively to extend Aadhaar update and adult enrollment services to people living in remote areas. Emphasis was also placed on providing services in 'camp mode' in schools for mandatory biometric updates.
He noted that biometric updates are mandatory for children upon attaining the ages of 5 and 15. The ADC instructed the Education Department to inform parents in advance about Aadhaar camps organized in schools and to ensure the timely resolution of pending cases. He stated that, given the requirement for Aadhaar authentication in competitive examinations such as NEET, CUET, UPSC, and IIT, it is essential for children's details to be updated on time. Additionally, the verification process for new Aadhaar enrollment applications for individuals over the age of 18 was reviewed. The ADC instructed all Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) to prioritize the resolution of pending cases for the 18+ age group on the state portal, ensuring that eligible applicants do not face unnecessary delays. Instructions were also issued to prioritize the resolution of pending Aadhaar cases concerning senior citizens. He noted that Aadhaar-related services are now operational at the 'Sugam Kendra' (facilitation center) within the Deputy Commissioner's office complex.
ADC Ishant Jaswal also directed that strict vigilance be maintained against any unauthorized activities related to Aadhaar. He asked all SDMs and concerned nodal officers to conduct periodic inspections of Aadhaar centers. He appealed to the public to avail services only at authorized Aadhaar centers.
The meeting also included a discussion on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Aadhaar enrollment of children residing in child care institutions, children separated from their families, and persons with disabilities or the destitute. The ADC directed that dedicated Aadhaar enrollment centers be designated for such vulnerable groups so that no eligible individual is deprived of identity-related services.
Officials present on the occasion included Una SDM Abhishek Mittal, District Child Protection Officer (Una) Kamaldeep Singh, District Planning Officer and Nodal Officer Dinesh Kumar, e-District Manager (Department of Digital Technology and Governance) Sahil Sharma, and UIDAI representative (Chandigarh) Abhishek Kumar, among others.