New Delhi, July 4: Aadhaar-issuing authority UIDAI has warned its agencies that refusal to enrol citizens by citing technical glitch or on any other pretext would be seen as indulging in “corrupt practice”.
The UIDAI has said there is no question of turning back residents seeking enrolment when, in fact, operators are required to renew their registration with the authority every 10 days qualifying them as being fit to offer such services.
“We are getting a lot of complaints that Aadhaar enrolment centres listed on our site are refusing to do enrolment on one pretext or another. This amounts to corrupt practice,” Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey said. There are 25,000 active enrolment centres across India.
All enrolment agencies will have to shift to government or municipal premises from external sites in coming weeks, bringing them under direct supervision of the authorities. “It is the operator who lists the services on our website. When they register, it is assumed that their machine is working and they are in a position to enrol people,” Pandey said, adding that there is no reason why agencies should not enrol people or turn them back citing technical
issues.
Moreover, the renewal of registration by enrolment agencies (EAs) every 10 days is an indication that they are indeed in a position to enrol, he pointed out. “Refusal to enrol is tantamount to corrupt practice. We have issued a stern warning to all EAs and operators in this regard through our field offices, and request people to also report cases of refusal… so, strong action can be taken against the agencies concerned,” he said.
The EAs flouting norms can be fined `10,000 for first offence and `50,000 for a repeat one. PTI
