The pilot implementation of Aadhaar enabled services in the three selected districts of Ajmer, Udaipur and Alwar is set to miss the January 1, 2013 deadline as the enrollment of UID cards remains far below the desired level of 80%. As on Friday, Aadhaar cards have been issued to only 21% of the people in Ajmer, while the penetration is 23% in Alwar and 20% in Udaipur.
A top official involved in project told TOI that given the current enrollment status, it would be difficult to implement the pilot projects from January 1.
The Centre has announced to roll out the project in 43 districts of the country on pilot basis from the beginning of next calendar year linking 29 government schemes to the Aadhaar. The electronic cash transfers of welfare schemes will be based on Aadhaar (Unique Identification Number) platform.
However, Rajasthan government was planning to initially link only three schemes such as social security pension, scholarships and benefits under public distribution system to Aadhaar, said the official.
Given the present status, the rollout schedule announced by chief minister Ashok Gehlot last month to implement the schemes across state may also miss the scheduled timeline.
Gehlot had set April 1 deadline for CM Rural BPL Awaas Yojana and social security pension schemes. The government has planned to link post-metric and higher education scholarships to Aadhaar from next academic year. February 1, 2013 has been set for payment of salaries to government officials through Aadhaar. But so far, people covered by Aadhaar cards in the state is only a little over 17% of the total population.
The Kotkasim pilot project in Alwar district has failed to live up to the expectations and unless the government cracks the whip, it may again not only miss the deadline but also fall far behind the finishing line.
src: TOI