A bizarre situation, this: according to the Tribune, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has issued an Aadhaar card, numbered 49911866 5246, in the name of "Mr Kothimeer (coriander), son of Mr ‘Pulav’, with the address "Gongura Thota (Hibiscus Cannabinus), Mamidi Kaya Vuru (raw mango village) of Jambuladinne Mandal in Anantapur district". The Aadhaar card has displayed the photo of a mobile phone. Makes you wonder what kind of processes the UIDAI has put into place for ensuring that Aadhaar numbers are not issued to illegal aliens and terrorists, apart from dogs, cats, cauliflowers, banyan trees and auto rickshaws. On the other hand, the Aadhaar card has its advantages - according to another report, this in the Hindustan Times, the Aadhaar number be used to activate a mobile connections instantly: all they need is a barcode printed on Aadhaar letters for data capture, and biometric authentication captured when the card was issued. And, as we know, capturing biometric information ensures that only authenticated individuals can use a particular Aadhaar number. So Coriander (son of Pulav) will have to provide the same biometric information that was provided at the time that the data was captured before the Aadhaar number was issued. Wonder what that was... Must read: The Lowdown: India’s Unique ID Project Unraveled By Standing Committee
