VRISHANK MAHATME
PANJIM: Directorate of Education (DoE) has revealed that 21,362 students from high school and higher secondary school have still not enrolled for Aadhaar card which is now mandatory to avail government benefits in schools from the academic year 2017-18 as per guidelines from the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).
The department said that a shortage of Aadhaar enrolment kits in schools led to a slowdown in the enrolment drive and that the department has written to MHRD seeking another 100 kits if the drive is to be conducted at a faster pace.
Speaking to Herald, DoE Statistical Officer Digambar Kalapurkar said, “We can provide the number of students that need to be enrolled to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) but we cannot do the Aadhar enrolment. It is up to the authority to provide kits in schools for this. The camps had already started in schools but most of the time there was no regular manpower for enrolment and that delayed the process. The machines need to be procured. The UIDAI has only a few machines here.”
The department has said that if not 100 kits the government should at least provide 50 kits if the process needs to be completed in three months after schools reopen in June.
“Right now we have sent a proposal to MHRD that we require certain amount of tabs with finger sensor other than those machines and lets how that works out. Another option for fast pace work we have suggested that our computer teachers be provided training for the enrolment drive. We say provide us with the kits we have the manpower,” he added.
Meanwhile, Education Department under directives of MHRD, had issued a circular to all schools to make Aadhaar card an identity document for delivery of services or benefits for the academic year 2017-18. Linkage of Aadhaar card will be necessary to avail benefits such as mid-day meals, raincoats, uniforms, note books, girl’s incentives and Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship programmes.
