Montek speaks of lost Aadhaar card, gets one in 1 hr

New Delhi: A casual mention of a lost Aadhaar card in public saw government machinery go on an overdrive and its holder got a duplicate card in less than an hour.

And the beneficiary of this efficiency--an issue over which government departments often faced criticism--was none other than a pleasantly surprised Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Ahluwalia, who was the chief guest at the Aadhaar card issuing authority UIDAI`s function here this morning, told his audience during the course of his speech that he had lost his unique identification card. But little did he expect that a duplicate card will be handed over to him even before the event concluded, apparently aware that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is bombarded with hundreds of complaints of missing, lost or delayed cards. Ahluwalia had gone to attend the UIDAI function to launch three new Aadhaar-enabled services which would help residents to authenticate their identity anytime and anywhere through a digital platform. According to official sources, UIDAI can find out Aadhaar number and generate Aadhaar Card using the mobile number of a resident. When Ahluwalia spoke about his missing card, the staff concerned in the Authority were asked by the UIDAI bosses to generate a duplicate Aadhaar Card without wasting a single minute. Later, overwhelmed with the express service of the authority, Ahluwalia posed with his duplicate Aadhaar Card before a posse of photographers. PTI