Maharashtra govt to hold special camps at anganwadi centres to issue Baal Aadhaar cards

“We have already received 1,500 kits for the registration process. We have also trained our anganwadi workers who have been enrolling children from far off parts of Maharashtra for months. For the next three months, we will be running the special campaign to add as many children as possible in Aadhaar,” said an officer from Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) department.

As per procedure, the collection of biometrics (fingerprints and iris) that is a key feature in issuing Aadhaar isn’t required for children below the age of five years. “The enrolment of children in the 0-5 years age group is done based on the facial image of children and the biometric authentication of the parent or guardian who has a valid Aadhaar card. This makes the process easier for anganwadi workers,” added the officer.

The Baal Aadhaar cards are issued in blue colour with a remark that they are valid till the child attains the age of five years.

Anganwadi workers hold camps where they cover two to three villages at a time. But unavailability of internet is the biggest hurdle for anganwadi workers as the facial images and documents have to be uploaded on the centralised portal.

“Sometimes, we hold camps near a government office to access the internet or on a plain terrain where there is adequate network coverage. So, we also make door-to-door visits to inform families about the process and sensitise them about the benefits of having Aadhaar cards,” said Kamal Parulekar, secretary, Anganwadi Sevika Union general.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology recently said that the Unique Identification Authority (UIDAI) has enrolled more than 79 lakh children in the 0-5 years age group in the first four months of this financial year.