In a breather for the consumers,the authorities have decided to postpone the registration for Aadhaar card at gas agencies till an unspecified date. The move comes days after the West Bengal Assembly passed a resolution opposing the centres move to link the Aadhaar with direct cash subsidy for LPG users. However,the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will roll out a pilot project in five districts across the country,including Cooch Behar in Bengal where people can approach gas agencies to get enrolled for Aadhaar. In a meeting with the top brass in Delhi,it has been decided that a pilot project of registration for Aadhaar cards at gas agencies would be rolled out between December 14 and 22 at Balangir in Orissa,Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu,Champawat in Uttarakhand,Etawah in Uttar Pradesh and Cooch Behar in Bengal. The next step will be taken according to the experience gained from the pilot project, said an official at the secretariat. He said the decision had been taken in a symposium under the chairmanship of the Registrar General of India (RGI) and participated by Oil Manufacturing Companies (OMCs) and all Central Public Sector Units (CPSUs). The official said that after the Supreme Court ruled that Aadhaar should not be linked to the domestic gas subsidy,the enrolment process had slowed down. At present,the Biometric Enrolment (BME) of only 69 per cent of the eligible population has been completed in Kolkata,out of which,cards have been despatched to nearly 80 per cent,he added. The postponement of the proposed enrolment for Aadhaar at gas agencies,which was supposed to begin on December 2,has left dealers apprehensive. On one hand,the registration has been stalled and on the other hand,the deadline of January 31,2014,according to the directive from the Centre,which we had received,has not been extended. If that is not revised,there is a possibility that people who would not have the Aadhaar by that time,would not get the subsidy for no fault of theirs, said Sushanta Mukherjee,president,West Bengal LPG Distributors Forum. Again,Bijan Behari Biswas,general secretary,Indane Distributors Association said the resolution that was passed at the Assembly was not comprehensible. It is not clear whether there will be no implementation of Aadhaar at all or whether it will be done only after there is 100 per cent enrolment, he said.
