There are apprehensions that the “model State for Aadhaar enrolment”, Jharkhand might fail short to achieve the desired in terms for enrolment for Aadhaar numbers. The reason: not many enrolment centres are established in rural areas.People in distant area of State have to take “tiring and frustrating” journey to urban enrolment centres.
Vinod Upadhyay, a Government teacher at Panchanan Rajbala High School Satanpur, an example of a typical Jharkhand rural belt, in Bokaro district said that there were no Aadhaar enrolment centres in the area anytime since the project was rolled out. He maintained that people had to make Herculean efforts for getting enrolled for Aadhaar cards. “Because they know having no Aadhaar number will debar them from availing of various welfare schemes. They reserve autos, ride bikes and rush to urban enrolment centres. But even at those urban centres they don’t get enrolled always,” he said. And without asking he presents a solution. “It would have been better if there were some permanent enrolment centres in rural belts,” he said.
Another resident of rural belt in Bokaro district Rammurti Thakur, a teacher in a government school, maintained that an Aadhaar enrolment centre was opened few months back in the area his schools is situated. “But that remained just for one or two days. Now people have to travel directly to the Head Quarters at district for getting enrolled. But majority of them return tired, frustrated and without enrolment, because the H/Qs are already flooded with people,” he said.
The situation in other districts like Ramgarh, with huge rural population condition is not much different. Binod Bihari Mahto of from Tonagatu government school in Ramgarh district said, “It’s (enrolment centre) urgently needed here. Please ask the authorities to arrange here one, if you can.” The teachers vomited the desperation of people for enrolment centre.
“Even if they establish one enrolment centre in the entire area of the village I teach not less than 10,000 people would throng for enrolment from the adjoining villages,” he said.
Amitabh Kausahl, who until very recently was Ramgarh DC (and has been transferred to West Jamshedpur District), declines any distinction on the part of administration (between rural and urban populace) while registering for Aadhaar card. But he accepted that there had been inadequate enrolment kits in the districts.
“There are only 40-45 enrolment kits. Besides, contract with at least three enrolling agencies have expired. These things must be looked into. But I would like to inform you that all the kits have been placed in rural areas,” he said.
Enrolment agencies though officially refute any suggestion of them overlooking rural areas they count several reasons why it was difficult for them to work in such areas.
Saket Kumar Sah, Smart Chip ltd., the enrolment agency operating in Bokaro from lalpania Inter College said that they were trying to undertake the registration process in block wise fashion – first covering the population of one block then going to the other blocks. “But there are problems in going to rural areas because they are tough accessible in term of transport. There are also issues with power supply,” he said. Indad Husain of United telecom ltd., operating in Ramgarh told a different and appalling tale.
“If you see the website (of UIDAI) you will find that huge enrolment has happened. But on ground the situation is otherwise. There have several de-enrolments. We have got to re-enrol them,” he said.