Nearly 200,000 Aadhaar cards stuck in post

Nearly 200,000 Aadhaar cards and smart cards have been piling up across post offices in the region surrounding the western port city Kochi in India.

The Postal Department says a shortage of staff is the main cause for backlog, and has been affecting the region for at least three months, according to a report by New Indian Express.

The unavailability of Smart Cards has prevented those living in coastal areas including Palluruthy, Chittoor, Kannammali, Kumbalangi, Vypeen and Udayamperoor from accessing government services.

“There are about 75 posts lying vacant in the Postal Department in the district alone which has affected the distribution of cards. The vacancies created due to retirements and deaths have not been filled on time,” O C Joy, Postal State Representative, Central Government Employees Federation said.

“The Postal Department is offering a meagre salary of `189 a month. The existing staff is ready to take up the job, provided they are given a justifiable amount rather than a negligible amount,” V A Mohanan, state president of National Federation of Postal Employees said in the report.

Reported previously in BiometricUpdate.com, the Delhi government set up eAadhaar card counters across 13 districts to issue temporary UID cards as many residents had noticed a gap between their UID numbers being generated and actually receiving the card. The temporary solution means Delhiites can access government solutions before they get the official card in the mail.

The second phase of India’s Aadhaar project aims to enroll 400 million residents by 2014, but considering the magnitude of this project, issuance has proven itself to be problematic in some cases.

As we’ve reported, enrolment has slowed in Andrha Pradesh to the point where it could take more than six months to complete.

Article Topics

Aadhaar  |  biometric cards  |  biometric database  |  fingerprint verification  |  government  |  identity verification