5 things to know to avoid fleecing at Aadhaar enrolment centres

Mumbai: At a time when Aadhaar is becoming central to our identity, the UIDAI recently blacklisted 49,000 Aadhaar enrolment centres for fleecing people.

According to media reports, the UIDAI, had been receiving complaints of enrolment officials charging people unnecessarily and hence took actions against them.

"Additionally, the enrolment agency is also penalised with a fine of Rs 50,000 in addition to other legal steps. Since December 2016, over 6,100 overcharging incidents have been fined Rs 10,000 each for the incident and from July 2017, 466 such incidents have drawn penalties of Rs 50,000 for each incident," UIDAI said.

At such a time, it is important to be aware of these Aadhaar-related instructions so that we are not misled by similar perpetrators:

1. There is no charge on Aadhaar enrolment. Several centres were reportedly charging money in the rage of Rs 50 to Rs 200 for printing Aadhaar on plastic cards they termed as ‘Aadhaar smart card’. However, the basic Aadhaar card or printout from the Aadhaar website is enough for enrolment. There is no such thing as ‘Aadhaar smart card’.

2. If you update details in your Aadhaar online, there is no fee. However, a fee of Rs 25 will be charged for updating information if you go through an enrolment centre.

3. If you have lost your Aadhaar, the same can be downloaded on the website, free of cost. For getting a black and white printout at the enrolment, the fee is Rs 10.

4. One may call the helpline number 1947 to lodge complaints regarding fleecing officials.

5. If the mobile number you mentioned on your Aadhaar form is not linked or rejected, you will be notified via SMS.