With the Anganwadi workers demonstrating for their demands and all the Anganwadi centres closed, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) officials are clueless as to how to complete Aadhaar seeding of all the children of 0-5 age group by December 31.
The Anaganwadi Workers and Helpers are on strike under the banner of the All Odisha Anganwadi ladies Workers’ Association to demand hike in pay and perks.
Thousands of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers have been sitting on dharna on the MG Road and Union Minister Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan reached the demonstration place and supported their demands.
They are demanding a hike in the minimum pay of the workers and helpers to Rs 18,000 and Rs 9,000 per month respectively. The agitators are urging for a minimum pension of Rs 3,000 per month with a status of Government employee.
While the stalemate continues, the UIDAI authorities are worried as over 18 lakh children in the age group of 0-5 years are still out of Aadhaar coverage. In fact, the Government of India has urged the State administration to immediately cover these left-out children.
The UIDAI has approached the State Government to have Aadhaar saturation in Odisha as almost all the child development programmes are linked to Aadhaar.
While there are 39.11 lakh children in Odisha of the 0-5 age group, 20.90 lakh children have Aadhaar, which is over 53 per cent, pointed out Deputy Director General (DDG), UIDAI, VS Rami Reddy.
Reddy has said that 100 per cent Aadhaar seeding and data validation will have to be completed by December 31 as the Government of India has set the deadline.
In the meantime, the State Government has taken up Aadhaar saturation programme and at least 20, 90,000 children of 0-5 age group have been enrolled. However, around 47 per cent children are left out, which is also a large number, pointed out Reddy.
Earlier, Women and Child Development Union Secretary Rakesh Srivastava had approached the State Government to complete 100 per cent Aadhaar seeding and data validation by end of 2017. Srivastava had advised the State Government to take the services of the Anganwadi workers and helpers in this regard.