When over 50 lakh people are still to be covered under the biometric enrolment in the National Population Register (NPR), the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India has extended the deadline and urged the Odisha Government to continue with the process.
Home Ministry Additional Secretary and Registrar General Sailesh has writing to State Revenue and Disaster Management Secretary Mona Sharma in this regard.
The Central PSUs engaged in the biometric enrolment developed cold feet after the deadline to cover all the residents above five years of age was over on March 31.
Photo Biometric Data for 87.98 per cent of the population of the State has been completed with 3, 69, 30,861 of total 4, 19, 74,218 population have been covered by deadline. Now, 50, 43,357 people are still to be covered under the NPR.
The enrolment agencies, CPSUs, were not sure about their agreement and payment in this regard after the deadline.
Sources further said that though Photo Biometric Data of 3,69, 30, 861 have been generated, all of them do not have the Aadhaar Number.
Only 3, 33,76,109 people have Aadhaar numbers, which accounts for 79.52 per cent of the total population.
Therefore, covering all above five years of age and generating Aadhaar Numbers for them would take more time and resources, said a senior officer in the Directorate of Census.
There are many districts, where coverage is low, and those areas need dynamic approach, said Sailesh in his letter.
In Malkangiri District, the process has been halted due to oppositions from Maoists.