Maharashtra to set up over 3,000 centres to update Aadhaar

PUNE: More than 3,000 kiosks, banks and post offices will be dedicated to update Aadhaar cards in the state now that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has directed that documents submitted 10 years ago must be revised. Nearly 750 such centres will be in Pune district itself.
Sumnesh Joshi, deputy director general of UIDAI western region, told TOI that the cards can also be updated online. "We will ensure that enough centres are dedicated for helping citizens update their documents for identification and residence proof. Centres are currently sufficient but one can also do it online on UIDAI portal."

Pune district Aadhaar officials said that all centres have been directed to ensure there are enough employees to ensure the process is smooth. "Usually the number of [working] hours are limited. But now with the Centre's directive, we have told them to dedicate more staff for the same," an official said.
Aadhaar establishes identification through the iris, fingerprint and photographs. The 12-digit unique identification number obtained voluntarily by citizens was launched in 2009. Over the years, it has been used for linking with various schemes as well as the voter ID card and has become arguably the most important identification document. The number is used in different government schemes and services.
"In order to avail these schemes and services, the general public has to keep the Aadhaar data updated with the latest personal details so there is no inconvenience in Aadhaar authentication/verification," an official said. "With voter ID data being linked, update is even more important."
"It is a simple process and those who cannot do it online can approach the citizen kiosk and get it updated," the official added.
However, citizens who have recently updated their details online said there is a need to make the process simpler. "The process has become slow and one is not sure whether it is even properly updated. This needs to be addressed," one person told TOI.
There are more than 50,000 Aadhaar enrolment centres across the country. Recently, the UIDAI tied up with the postal department to have a postman come to a person's doorstep to update Aadhaar.