Aadhaar card 'goof up': 800 villagers in Haridwar share same birth dates

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has faced a major setback after reports of over 800 people in Haridwar's Gaindi Khata village sharing January 1 as their date of birth in their new Aadhaar cards surfaced.

Amid the reports, the UIDAI clarified saying that January 1 of a particular year is typically taken by default as the official date of birth by the system in instances where the applicants do not know their exact date of birth or do not have the supporting documents.

"We were told we would be getting a unique identification number. But what's unique about it? Even our birthdays are the same now," Wazir Ali Chopra, a resident, told ANI on Saturday.

Under the UIDAI policy, the date of birth is registered in three ways.

An individual can either quote the verified date of birth and submit supporting proof or provide declared date of birth without any supporting documents.

In cases of residents who are only able to give their age, January 1 of that year is taken as per the age given by the resident as date of birth by default for the purpose of enrolment.

"This came into our notice through the reports. We will probe the matter and take required action against wrong-doers," Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Haridwar, Manish Kumar told ANI.

The UIDAI said an update can be done by visiting any Aadhaar enrolment centre or even online at a later stage, in case the resident is able to provide supporting documents for the date of birth.

This is not the first such incidents where errors have occurred.

Earlier in May, it was reported that around 250 villagers in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer found their Aadhaar cards citing their birth date as January 1.