(Image source from: Fresh Press Journal)

Over 18,000 banks branches and post offices have come up for enrolment and updation of the biometric Identity cards subsequently less than a year they were asked to set up Aadhar facility on their premises, says UIDAI Chief Executive Officer Ajay Bhushan Pandey.

Earlier this year, in July UIDAI, had asked private as well public sector banks to set up Aadhar facility in at least one out of 10 branches.

"Aadhaar centers are being set up in banks and post offices. So far, about 18,000 centers have been set up in their premises and in the remaining places also, centers will be set up," Pandey said.

In whole, about 26,000 centers are slated to come up at banks and post offices.

In view to making the Aadhar verification process of banks account convenient and to ensure secure enrolment, the 'Bank Aadhar Kendras' are being set up.

About 10,000 private and public sector bank branches have set up Aadhaar enrolment and updation centers on their premises while about 13,800 branches need to make this installation accessible.

"About 8,000 such centers have come up in post offices out of 13,000 that are targeted," Pandey pointed out.

The UIDAI Chief said that there was no timeline for achieving the targets but laid emphasized that the process of establishing the remaining centers is underway.

"The fact is that in the last few months they have set up as many as 18,000 centers., banks and post offices have worked very hard for this," he added.

The UIDAI had decreased by half, the regular minimum Aadhaar enrolment or updations targets, offering a major breather to banks about a fortnight back.

It said that the bank premises with Aadhaar facility will have to guarantee at least eight enrollments or updations in each branch daily from July 1, 2018 - a bar that will be raised to a minimum of 12 transactions per day per branch from October 1, and to 16 from January 1, 2019, onwards.

So far, the banks were facing a target of logging 16 daily enrollments or updations in each of these branches.

By Sowmya Sangam