NOV 08:Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today chaired a high-level meeting of the Unique Identification Authority of India Implementation Committee (UIDIC) to review the progress of Aadhaar-based initiatives and digital integration efforts across Jammu and Kashmir.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary emphasized the need to achieve complete Aadhaar saturation in the Union Territory, with special attention to children aged 0–5 years. He noted that the current enrolment rate for this group stands at 59.07%, higher than the national average of 39.54%, and directed the Health and Social Welfare Departments to intensify efforts to ensure 100% coverage.
The Chief Secretary instructed the School Education Department to expedite demographic corrections and complete all pending Mandatory Biometric Updates (MBU) for school children. Deputy Commissioners were told to submit weekly progress reports on Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes, activation of Enrolment Client Multi Platform (ECMP) kits, and Child Enrolment Lite Client (CELC) kits.
Underscoring the importance of technological innovation, Dulloo urged departments to replace manual certificates with verifiable, QR-code-enabled online versions to enhance transparency. He also called for greater adoption of Face Authentication Technology for inclusive biometric verification.
UIDAI Regional Officer, Chandigarh, Commodore (IN) Dhiraj Sareen, informed that J&K has achieved 93% Aadhaar saturation—issuing 1.26 crore Aadhaar numbers against a projected population of 1.35 crore. However, around 4.7 lakh biometric updates remain pending. District administrations were directed to organize special enrolment camps at schools and Anganwadi Centres to address this gap.
The meeting also reviewed the Birth Registration-Based Aadhaar Enrolment (BRBAE) initiative to ensure newborns are enrolled for Aadhaar at birth. J&K currently operates over 1,000 enrolment centres and two Aadhaar Seva Kendras (ASKs), with 10 more planned across districts.
Departments were asked to enhance data linkage and integration for effective welfare delivery. The UIDAI appreciated J&K’s proactive steps and assured full cooperation for future initiatives.
