Identity gaps

The Aadhar number is meant to act as a proof of identity for India's 1.2 billion people. As things stand, a little under half of India's population has been "seeded" by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Yet, interestingly, there are parts of India where Aadhar has not made any inroads at all - at least according to data presented in a reply to a Parliamentary question. The data, updated to November 2013, show that three states have "0%" saturation - Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya. A north-eastern trend? Not really, since Manipur has a 27 per cent saturation and Nagaland sneaks by with one per cent. Remote location? Again, Andaman & Nicobar Islands with a 42 per cent saturation suggests that this is not a deterrent. Political affiliations? Well, the Congress, champion of the UIDAI project, has been in power in Arunachal Pradesh since 2007, in Assam since 2001 and won in Meghalaya handily last year.