UIDAI on Monday, February 19, rejected the claims made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that it has cancelled the Aadhaar numbers of several Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Castes (OBC) individuals from West Bengal. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) highlighted that any case of deactivation could be due to an unfinished regular exercise of updating information and documents.
UIDAI clarified that it had initiated an exercise for updating documents and Aadhaar information, for which intimations are issued periodically to Aadhaar number holders.
These update activities are conducted to maintain the accuracy of the Aadhaar database. UIDAI stated that Aadhaar, the most commonly used digital identity, is used to avail of numerous subsidies, benefits and services.
It has added that it will address any such grievance submitted by Aadhaar card holders in this regard at the following link: https://uidai.gov.in/en/contact-support/feedback.html
The statutory authority said, “In this connection, it is clarified that no Aadhaar number has been cancelled. In case any Aadhaar number holder has any grievance in this regard, they may submit their feedback here. Any such grievance will be duly addressed.”
The clarification was issued by UIDAI as a follow up to the claims raised by West Bengal CM Banerjee on Sunday. She alleged that the Aadhaar cards of 50 citizens at Jamalpur in Purba Bardhaman district and several others in Birbhum, North and South 24 Parganas, as well as in North Bengal, seem to have been "delinked". Mamata Banerjee raised the issue on Sunday, February 18, alleging that the BJP-led central government deactivated Aadhaar cards in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
In a post on social media platform X, Banerjee said on Monday, “I vehemently condemn the reckless deactivation of Aadhaar cards, particularly targeting SC, ST and OBC communities in West Bengal. The Centre's unilateral decision to deactivate Aadhaar cards without any prior investigation or consultation with the State Government is a sinister plot to deprive eligible beneficiaries of welfare schemes, conveniently timed before the Lok Sabha Elections.”
“We are all CITIZENS of India. Every resident can avail of GoWB’s welfare benefits, irrespective of whether they have Aadhaar cards or not,” she added.
She also attached a copy of a letter she has written to the Prime Minister, raising concerns about the matter.
