PM, Sonia launches Integrated Aadhaar services in Rajasthan

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi launched the integration of government-run flagship programmes with 'Aadhar' card system on Saturday in Dudu city near Jaipur in Rajasthan. PM also distributed 21th Crore Aadhar card in dudu today. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launches the Aadhar Enabled Service Delivery (AESD) application, an electronic system that correctly identifies the targeted beneficiaries of government's several social schemes/services, at Dudu near Jaipur on Saturday. The new application is based on the Aadhar card - the unique identification citizenship number - whose launch's 2nd anniversary falls on Saturday. Singh would hand over the 21st crore Aadhaar card to a local resident in the presence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on the occasion.  These buses would come from far places like Jaisalmer and Udaipur, covering a distance of about 500 kms, as the party wants to ensure representation of all the districts in the meeting. As it is an official function of Prime Minister, Jaipur district administration has set up a huge pandal at the venue at the cost of about `1.5 crore. About 3,000 police personal  are put on duty for security arrangements.

The state government and the ruling Congress party have been working round the clock for past at least a fortnight to make the launch of the Aadhaar-enabled service delivery system at Dudu a grand success. Benefits of the new application range from better compliance management to reduced leakages, increased efficiency and accountability in service delivery. The AESD application links an Aadhaar number's property of uniqueness with various government schemes/services database to reach the beneficiaries. The application would be used for making pension payments, MNREGA wages, public distribution services (PDS), scholarship payments and other similar social benefits to the citizens. Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Union MoS for Communications and IT Sachin Pilot, Union MoS for Planning Ashwani Kumar, Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India Nandan Nilekani are also present on the occasion.