Friday, January 4, 2013

Registering property? Biometric ID must

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-02/delhi/36111049_1_uid-number-uid-enrollment-national-population-register

NEW DELHI: If you are looking to register property or your marriage in the capital, biometric identity proof will be mandatory from now. This means, along with the other necessary documentation, an Aadhar Unique Identification (UID) number or an enrolment slip showing it is on its way will be essential.

The revenue department took the lead, making biometric ID proof mandatory for all 20 of its services — ranging from registration of property to domicile and SC/ST certificates — from January 1. Other departments are set to follow suit soon.

Those enrolled under the ongoing National Population Register of the Union home ministry will be considered too.

The launch in the 11 revenue districts on Monday, however, was fraught with chaos.


The biometric move was only in the experimental mode so far and most applicants who landed up at the offices of the deputy commissioners on Monday, especially for property-related work, were in for a shock. Several were clueless about the UID enrollment and some who had enrolled earlier were yet to receive their number.

Delhi's divisional commissioner and revenue secretary Dharampal has issued an order making it mandatory for all deputy commissioners to seek a UID number or enrollment slip from applicants who crowd these offices in large numbers each day. But notices have only just come up and not everyone in Delhi has enrolled for a UID number.

Trying to quell the confusion, Dharampal said to begin with, of the 1.67 crore population, around 1.37 crore are enrolled for a UID and others would be brought into the fold too. "All those who come to the counters for availing any of the 20 services offered by the revenue department from now on will have to bring along their UID numbers or UID enrollment slips. And if the applicants are not enrolled then they will have to get themselves enrolled for the same. Otherwise they will not get the facility," he said.

Offices of all deputy commissioners have set up centres for Aadhaar enrolment, he pointed out. The east district office, for instance, has set up three more enrollment centres seeing Monday's rush.

Asked how the move would work, since it isn't mandatory under the law to enroll for Aadhaar, Dharampal said, "It is true that people need not enroll, but in that case, they will not be able to get the benefit of the services. The idea is to link the services to biometric identity proof. If someone does not want to enroll under Aadhaar then we will consider enrolment under National Population Register which is mandatory for all," he added.

In the coming months, though, authorities could get stricter. If a UID number is not furnished six months after enrollment, then the benefit of a service may be terminated. "All those cases where the UID enrolment is rejected by UIDAI will not be able to avail the service being sought," the revenue secretary added.

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