Shillong: Aadhaar enrolment in Meghalaya has started picking up pace, especially after the process of linking various services like bank accounts and PAN cards with the Aadhaar number was launched.
Aadhaar enrolment had begun in 2013 in the state but opposition from pressure groups slowed the process.
However, since May, the enrolment drive gained momentum. The state government had signed an agreement with Avvas Infotech, a Hyderabad-based IT consultancy services company, in April for Aadhaar enrolment.
Till July, of a targeted population of 32,30,132, around 3,15,112 people (9.8 per cent) was enrolled under the scheme. The enrolment figure has gone up to 4,63,058 or 14.3 per cent as on October 15.
Meghalaya and Assam are the lowest-ranked states in the country when it comes to Aadhaar enrolment.
The overall enrolment of citizens for Aadhaar in the country stands at 87.8 per cent (as on October 15).
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In Assam, the enrolment has touched only 7.1 per cent as on October 15 where of 3,40,68,394 citizens, only 24,05,286 people have been assigned the 12-digit Aadhaar number.
Yesterday, the RBI clarified that bank customers have to link their Aadhaar number to their bank accounts by December 31. The RBI had come out with the clarification to quell confusion raised by certain reports that Aadhaar linkage was not mandatory.
In June, the Centre had issued a notification that said if a bank account holder failed to link the Aadhaar number by December 31, the account would be frozen until the information was provided to the bank.
On Tuesday, a public meeting called by the Meghalaya Peoples' Committee on Aadhaar, a group of organisations and individuals, will be held here where participants would be enlightened about the early beginnings and progress of Aadhaar enrolment, reservations against Aadhaar, Supreme Court's interim order on Aadhaar enrolment, the apex court's ruling on right to privacy, opting out of Aadhaar enrolment and others.
Organisers of the meeting have said the public meeting would be the last meeting before the Supreme Court gives its final ruling on matters related to Aadhaar.
