BENGALURU: Bengaluru has witnessed the highest incidence of home-based enrolments for Aadhaar, bagging almost 50 per cent of the total such registrations done in the state. Aadhaar enrolments at home have risen in Karnataka since the initiative took off in December 2015.
Usually, such enrolments are done only for citizens who are very old, immobile, mentally challenged or are children with problems. Till November 30 this year, the number of home-based enrolments touched 7,442 across Karnataka, as per UID, Centre for e-Governance (CeG). Officials say home-based enrolments are done on requests received, with the maximum number coming from Bengaluru Urban, which registered about 1,200 enrolments per year. When the facility initially started, people didn’t know about it but requests have picked up year after year, officials add. Home service is available across the 30 districts of the state.
In the last six months, about 90 citizens aged between 90-102 approached the UIDAI regional office in Bengaluru for home enrolment. Most of these registrations were done in their homes at different locations across the city without much difficulty, say UIDAI officials.
Usually, the staffers visit such citizens on a specific date as per a queue system. Mallamma (name changed) was visited by a staff member at her Malleswaram residence for registration. Since the fingerprints of the 98-year-old woman could not be recorded even after four attempts, her iris scan and picture were uploaded.
District coordinator for Bengaluru Urban, Shaik Nadeem, says 4-5 enrolments are done in the city almost every day. Most registrations have been done in areas like Basavangudi, JP Nagar, Malleswaram, Jayanagar and Banashankari. He adds, “If we have enrolments in areas like Marathahalli or Whitefield, then we do only 1-2 per day because of the distance and travelling time.”
District coordinator, Bengaluru Rural, Prapulla D R says. “Sometimes, even handling a resident is tough. We have to be patient and careful in dealing with them in their own surroundings. Requests come on phone/letter/email but we ask them to send all personal details through email. There is a queue for home based enrolments and one has to wait for their turn. Sometimes, we oblige an individual for their request on a specific date.”
A UID project manager said, “We at CeG are always at the forefront when there is a request for home /door step enrolments especially when the requests are by senior citizens. The proactive approach is at all the district levels across Karnataka.”
Whom to contact
For any home-based enrolment, senior citizens can email to help.aadhaar@karnataka.gov.in. UIDAI officials say that bed-ridden, old-aged or disabled persons, or their relatives or friends can send the details of that person to Aadhaar’s Twitter handle (@UIDAI), with details such as applicant’s name, service sought (enrolment/updation), address and contact number. Taking note of the individual’s complaint, Aadhaar staffers will visit their homes on a specified date for enrolment. A complete list of grievance redressal platforms is also available at https://www.karnataka.gov.in/aadhaar/Pages/Grievance-Redressal.