New Delhi: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit yesterday said Delhi has achieved almost 100 per cent enrolment for Aadhaar card, days after the Supreme Court observed that it was not mandatory for availing government services.
Dikshit also emphasised that availing benefit of Government welfare schemes through Aadhaar has been ensuring "accuracy, transparency apart from containing corruption and fraud." She said introduction of Aadhaar card has also eliminated the role of "middlemen".
"We have achieved almost 100 per cent enrolment for Aadhaar card. As against the population of 1.67 crore as per 2011 census, the total Aadhaar enrolment in Delhi has now crossed 1.71 crore," she said.
She expressed the hope that the Union Government would take up the matter with the Supreme Court keeping in view the inherent benefits that the Aadhaar platform can offer.
The Chief Minister said Delhi was one of the first states in the country to adopt Aadhar platform for direct transfer of cash benefits to beneficiaries under Annashree scheme as well as a number of centrally sponsored programmes.
"The city government had established an elaborate mechanism and put in considerable efforts to enable its citizens to get enrolled under Aadhaar," she said.
Delhi government had made possession of Aadhaar cards mandatory for availing of various government services.
A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday had said that, "no person should suffer for getting the Aadhaar card in spite of the fact that some authority had issued a circular making it mandatory."
The Centre has indicated that it may approach the Supreme Court for 'correction' of Aadhaar order.
She also reiterated that Aadhar helps in directly reaching the benefits to genuine persons. It is an innovative governance reforms tool with the potential of ensuring radical change in public service delivery.
"The Supreme Court has not refrained any government agency from enrolling citizens under Aadhaar but has only ordered that Aadhaar could not be made a mandatory to access government services," she said.
