Karnataka develops tool to nix name mismatch issue for Aadhaar seeding
Belagavi, (DHNS): Facing trouble linking a document with Aadhaar because your name does not match? Karnataka seems to have a solution.
The Centre for e-Governance has developed a technology-enabled mechanism in partnership with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) that can help seed Aadhaar with a person’s document even if there is a name mismatch, which is a teething trouble citizens face across the country.
“It is for the first time in India that such a name-matching tool has been developed,” Additional Chief Secretary (e-governance) Rajeev Chawla said. The tool was developed as part of Karnataka’s effort to make Aadhaar the base for delivery of citizen services.
“The biggest hurdle in seeding documents with Aadhaar is that names don’t match on both Aadhaar and a particular document. The name-matching tool will come up with a name-match score. The software is such that we can set a threshold score, say 70%, that will determine whether or not the person is the same even if there is a name mismatch,” Chawla explained.
Citing his own name as an example, Chawla said: “Aadhaar may have my name as Rajeev and a document may have Rajiv. The software will come out with a name-match score. If the score is high enough, Aadhaar will be seeded with the document. If the score is low, someone in our department will manually check for a match,” he said. Apparently, it took “quite some convincing” for the UIDAI to allow the state government to develop the tool.
The software has already been deployed to ensure name mismatch does not get in the way of providing input subsidy for drought relief under the Parihara scheme that reaches 30 lakh farmers. However, the name mismatch problem persist in the areas of seeding Aadhaar with ration cards and income or caste certificates. “Name mismatch accounts for 80% of the problem in Aadhaar seeding,” Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Development Commissioner T M Vijay Bhaskar said. “Going forward, the software will come in handy to resolve problems in seeding of Aadhaar with various other schemes and even driver licences,” Bhaskar added.
People across the country faced a harrowing time recently while trying to link their Permanent Account Numbers (PAN) and Aadhaar because of mismatch in names. The Finance Ministry finally relented and allowed PAN-Aadhaar seeding if the date of birth and gender of the person matched in both databases.
Obviously there will be confusion not only due to spelling a name, as a noun can be spelt anyway, but generally too, as there are just too many CARDS in India introduced by the whims and fancy of each ruling party and government that came along – Instead Indians were told that an Adhaar Card was introduced for obtaining a subsidy on LPG Gas and the present PM did away with the subsidy, thus nullifying it’s necessity. A Ration Card where most holders do not get nor take any ration, Voters Card that is required only once in 5 years… Read more »