Bokaro district administration has given September 30 as the new deadline for students of ICSE and CBSE schools to get Aadhaar cards.

This was done after it was learnt that 27,000 of 79,000 students in ICSE and CBSE schools did not have Aadhaar cards by September 19, the district's earlier deadline.

District education officer (DEO) Mahip Singh said it was mandatory for students of private schools to get Aadhaar cards made as students need to produce this ID proof in Class IX to register with Delhi boards CBSE and CISCE (ICSE) for their Class X exam.

"For this year's Class IX students, CBSE deadline for Aadhaar cards is October 10," Bokaro DPS director Hemlata S. Mohan said.

At the district level, Singh said they wanted not just Class IX but every student to have Aadhaar cards to keep track of every name, address and socio-economic background to keep tabs on whether welfare scheme benefits were going to the right beneficiary. "With Aadhaar cards, we can cut corruption to a large extent. Many affluent families get forged Lal (BPL) cards made for welfare benefits," he said.

To help parents get Aadhaar cards of their wards made within September 30, the administration got the process rolling at seven schools in Bokaro and Bermo. Aadhaar cards for students are now being made at five Bokaro schools - DAV (Sector IV), Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ayappa Public School, Chinmaya Vidyalaya and Sardar Patel Public School - and two in the satellite town, Bermo High School and DAV.

Aadhaar card points at schools will also help parents who are otherwise running behind agents to get the job done.

As schools are issuing daily reminders to students about Aadhaar cards, many agents are charging Rs 100 per card. Under rule, agencies get Rs 30 per card from the government and the card-holder doesn't need to pay a paisa.

Bokaro resident Ramesh Rajak who got the Aadhaar card of his daughter, a student of Class III, made on Tuesday, said he was forced to pay Rs 100. "I know it is illegal but as my daughter's school was repeatedly asking for the card, I paid the sum," he rued.