Retrieving Lost Aadhaar Remains a Flawed System: Report
New Delhi: The Aadhaar continues to pose roadblocks for those most in need of it, a recent thread on X has revealed once again.
The Road Scholarz account on X has reported the story of one Sangeeta Kumari from Jharkhand, who lost her Aadhaar card and was unable to retrieve it easily. UIDAI's remedies for what is a common issue, a lost card, were unhelpful.
लातेहार जिला के बरवाडीह के ग्राम मुरु की संगीता कुमारी का आधार बचपन में ही खो गया है। आधार केंद्र गई तो ऑपरेटर ने इन्हें रांची जाने के लिए कहा । 1947 हेल्पलाइन पर कॉल किया तो वहां भी मदद नहीं मिली। @HemantSorenJMM @ChampaiSoren @LateharDistrict pic.twitter.com/T8xyj1COOk
— Dheeraj Kumar (@dheeraj_dissent) July 25, 2024
Posting on their X account, they reported that when Sangeeta first contacted the UIDAI helpline for Aadhaar retrieval, she was asked for specific information, including her date of birth. Unable to provide this detail, Sangeeta could not verify her identity to access social benefits. This situation is particularly paradoxical as Aadhaar is not intended to serve as proof of birthdate.
The user interface of the re-enrolment webform was unhelpful, giving vague reasons for rejecting the re-enrolment request. They noted that the helpline assistant even scolded Sangeeta for not being able to explain the reason for the rejection, despite the rejection message being meaningless. The confusing message suggested she should re-enrol again, even though this was precisely the process which the message was rejecting.
Rejection Message when trying to Re-Enrol. Photo: Screengrab from post by @roadscholarz
Ultimately, an Aadhaar operator suggested that one of the few ways to resolve this issue might be to present the rejection slip at the UIDAI’s Regional Office in Ranchi and potentially pay Rs 1,200. Even if Sangeeta decided to spend the time and money traveling to Ranchi, there was no guarantee that the issue would be resolved.
This story mirrors another account in the Indian Express written by economist Jean Drèze, back in 2021, where Reena Devi from Bihar similarly lost her Aadhaar, which was her key to the social benefits she was guaranteed and needed. After months of calls, visits, and running in circles, despite help from educated English-speaking college graduates, only through the big-heartedness of a Ranchi UIDAI regional officer was she able to retrieve her Aadhaar number. The regional officer, even then, commented on the common nature of the problem of lost Aadhaar cards. Sangeeta's case reflects the fact that the issue endures.
Sangeeta was unable to get her Aadhaar for weeks. The Road Scholarz account reached out to UIDAI through their post, and while the UIDAI did respond and request contact information for Sangeeta it is unclear if the matter was resolved.
This account also underscores the problems associated with linking basic social benefits to a number on a card, whether for MGNREGA wages, pensions, ration or other social services. While Digital India and Aadhaar were promoted as solutions to inefficiencies in the social benefits system and aimed at inclusivity, these narratives reveal the systemic exclusion faced by the poor working class.
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