Srinagar, Nov 29: Almost four months after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rolled out the Unique Identification project, Aadhar, in Jammu and Kashmir, the exercise has got stalled and not a single hi-tech identity facility has been issued. The government has now decided to invite tenders afresh after it had allotted the enrollment work to outside companies last summer.
Last August government had signed MoU with JK Bank, appointed as Registrar for the project, for implementation of the UID project after state had in July 2010 entered into MoU with Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for executing the hi-tech scheme. Officials said the companies, Wipro Technologies and Comtech Technology, had won the bid to carry out enrollment process. Officials said the companies had started work in three of the seven strata the state was divided into.
The government has decided to go for fresh bidding process reportedly to please a senior Cabinet minister whose son has shown interest in the project.
Information Technology Minister Aga Ruhullah told Greater Kashmir that government will be inviting fresh bids and the companies have been communicated to stop the enrollment process at 10,000 figures.
Asked for the reasons, the Minister said “normal code of procedure” was not followed in allotting the work and there was a deviation from the guidelines in inviting the tenders.
“Of seven point procedure only three guidelines were followed,” he said. To another question why the exercise was not stopped at initial stage when government had observed violation of rules, the minister said they came to know about the issue at late stage.
Sources said while UID enrollment is going at pace in other states, not a single person has been provided the biometric UID card in JK.
Amid much hype, the government had announced launch of the Aadhar project in the state and to start with, the Chief Minister was the first person to get himself enrolled for Unique Identification Number in August as the project was launched simultaneously in four districts of Jammu, Srinagar, Baramulla and Ganderbal. Nobody has been provided the UID card so far, officials said.
Under the project, finger prints and iris scan of every citizen will be taken for providing them with the 12-digit UID number card which will establish their identity. The J&K Bank, as Registrar, through various enrollment agencies, shall be responsible for enrolment of the state subjects and collection of bio-metric data as prescribed by the UIDAI.
The facility is expected to reduce the hassle of repeatedly proving identity by various documents to avail services like opening a bank account and obtaining passport or driving license.
For people living below the poverty line and the ones who are entitled to various government-run welfare programmes, the number and the biometric data will help in identifying the beneficiaries and help to stop misuse of the schemes.
Omar had said once the project is completed it would remove chances of use of fake job cards, fake ration cards, false identity cards and ghost employees who exist only on paper besides ensuring benefits to weaker sections of society under various schemes in the sectors of Rural Development, Social Welfare, Health and Education. It will also check pilferages and protect privacy of the card holders," he had said.
The Wipro and Comtech had to reportedly carry out enrollment of 27 lakh and 47 lakh people respectively. However Commissioner Secretary IT, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi said the process could not be started in Jammu region due to ‘some problems.’
“Not much of the publicity had gone into the process for inviting tenders for carrying out the enrollment. We want that every company should get a chance to bid in the process,” Dwivedi said. He said JK Bank has started the fresh tender process a week ago.
Last July government had ordered constitution of a 4-member committee for authenticating selection process of enrollment agencies under UID.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:00:00 IST