india

Updated: Aug 22, 2019 16:53 IST

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has said it will have three more Aadhaar seva kendra (ASK) operational by the month end, taking the total number of the facility in the country to seven.

“In Delhi, another ASK at Inderlok Metro station will be operational by month end. Two more being made operational by next week are Bhopal and Chennai,” UIDAI said in a statement.

The fourth stand-alone ASK has become operational on dry run basis in Hisar, it said adding that two more such facilities will become operational in Patna and Guwahati by the first week in September.

The four ASKs that are now operational on dry run basis are located at Akshardham Metro station, New Delhi and cities of Hissar (Haryana), Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) and Agra (Uttar Pradesh), it said.

“This is part of the UIDAI’s plan to open 114 such centres in 53 cities across the country for providing hassle-free Aadhaar enrolment and update services to the people with prior appointment. UIDAI intends to complete the setting up of all the 114 Aadhaar Seva Kendras by the end of the year 2019,” UIDAI chief executive officer Ajay Bhushan Pandey said.

These ASKs will help people in adjoining areas to enrol themselves for an Aadhaar card and update information in a hassle-free, secure and convenient manner and will function along with other 35,000 plus Aadhaar kendras currently being run in banks, post offices, BSNL customer centres, and other designated state government offices, he said.

UIDAI said the ASKs will have a token system where residents will have to first get a token for their Aadhaar related work and then move to a ‘verifier’ for document checking. Once the verification is completed, the resident will have to go to the ‘cash counter’ for the payment of Rs 50, the charge for Aadhaar update, if required. A resident who has been provided with a token will not have to stand in long queues.

The ASKs have a capacity to handle up to 1,000 enrolments and update requests every day and will be open for six days a week, including weekends from 9:30am to 6pm. They will be closed only on Tuesdays and public holidays, it said. Any resident can take an online advance appointment and visit the ASKs at their convenience.