Sanjay Kumar Pandey

Ranchi EW News: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Regional Office, Ranchi, organized a state-level workshop titled "Maximizing Impact through Aadhaar" at Shri Krishna Institute of Public Administration, Ranchi, to promote the use of Aadhaar in Jharkhand. Chief guest Ajoy Kumar Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary of Health, Medical Education, and Family Welfare, Jharkhand, highlighted the importance of Aadhaar from birth. He emphasized how Aadhaar has facilitated financial and social inclusion for the beneficiaries over the past decade. He also appreciated the efforts of the Regional Office in collaboration with various government departments of Jharkhand for their role in Aadhaar enrolment and updates. Representing UIDAI Headquarters, New Delhi, Amod Kumar, IAS, Deputy Director General, presented the various innovative steps taken by states to maximize Aadhaar's benefits. He explained how Aadhaar helps deliver social security programs under Sections 7 and 4(4)(B)(ii) of the Aadhaar Act, directly reaching the intended beneficiaries. Vipra Bhal, IAS, Secretary of Information Technology and e-Governance, Jharkhand, praised the UIDAI Regional Office for regularly holding District-Level Aadhaar Monitoring Committee (DLAMC) meetings, which have helped Jharkhand improve its Aadhaar saturation rate to match the national average. Speaking on the occasion, Akhilesh Kumar Gupta, ITS, Deputy Director General of UIDAI, Regional Office Ranchi, emphasized Aadhaar’s significance as a tool for empowerment and inclusion. He noted that Aadhaar, initiated in 2009, provides a unique, verifiable identity to every individual, ensuring even the most marginalized have access to government services, scholarships, subsidies, and benefits. Gupta highlighted that the last decade focused on providing digital identities, while this decade will be about leveraging these identities for further benefits. He also assured continued support from UIDAI in improving the 'Ease of Living' in Jharkhand. In the technical session, Devendra Kumar, IRPS, Director of the DBT Mission, Cabinet Secretariat, shared his experiences on how Aadhaar has enabled Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), eliminating middlemen and fake beneficiaries, and saving significant government revenue. The workshop saw participation from representatives of all 24 districts of Jharkhand, along with departments like the Postal Department, Railways, Jharkhand Education Project Council, State-Level Bankers' Committee, India Post Payment Bank, Coal India, National Payments Corporation of India, and many others.