AP Village Secretariats to provide Aadhaar services, guidelines issued to collectors

The Department of Village Ward Secretariats has said that the Aadhaar services are being made available in village and ward secretariats across the state. The department said the services would be provided completely free of cost to those who register Aadhaar details for the first time. According to the regulations, even those who update their biometric based on children between the ages of five and 15 will be offered free services once.

However, Aadhaar Registration Agency (UIDAI) will have a service charge for changes in Aadhaar color printing, correction of errors in biometrics and address details. Shan Mohan, Director, Village and Ward Secretariat, has issued directions to all District Collectors on the modalities for the management of Aadhaar services in the Secretariats.

Shaan Mohan said in the directives that these Aadhaar service centres were being set up in 3,000 secretariats across the state. The centre will be set up at the rate of one in every five secretariats, as far as possible from all villages and wards at equal distances.

The government is supplying a total of 15 types of electronic devices, including laptops, monitors, cameras, multi-functional, eyeris, fingerprint device, white screen, focus light, GPS device, protector, VGA to HDMI converter, exclusively for Aadhaar services. The kits have already been distributed to a total of 1,100 secretariats in two phases. Elsewhere, officials said the supply process was ongoing. He said Aadhaar services have already started in the secretariats where the kits were received.

The Department of Village and Ward Secretariats has also imparted specialised training to Digital Assistant, Welfare and Education Assistants on the management of Aadhaar services in the Secretariats. The Village and Ward Secretariats have directed the respective District Collectors to restrict the use of digital assistants in the Village and Ward Secretariats to Aadhaar services only and not to assign them any other services.

If a digital assistant is not available in any of the secretariat providing Aadhaar services, Collectors are advised to start Aadhaar services in another secretariat nearby. Collectors have also been directed to widely disseminate the details of the secretariats where Aadhaar services are available through local TV channels. The authorities have directed the collectors to set up special centers in schools and Anganwadi Centers to provide services like Aadhaar registration, biometric details update etc.