Ludhiana: Education department hosts Aadhaar enrolment camp for students

Ashima Sood, APAAR ID nodal in-charge at GSSS, PAU, Ludhiana, highlighted the impact of the camp, where 72 students from government, aided, and private schools updated their Aadhaar details

In a bid to streamline students’ identification and ensure access to essential educational benefits, the district education office (Secondary) organised a special Aadhaar enrolment and updating camp for the schools in Ludhiana West on Monday. Held at Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS), PAU, the initiative aimed to ensure that every student possesses a valid Aadhaar Card, a mandatory requirement for generating APAAR IDs.

Aadhaar ID generation camp for school students underway at GSSS, PAU, in Ludhiana on Monday. (Manish/HT)

According to educators, the absence of Aadhaar Cards has created significant roadblocks, preventing schools from issuing APAAR IDs to numerous students. As a result, many have missed out on scholarships and other government-sponsored educational benefits.

Ashima Sood, APAAR ID nodal in-charge at GSSS, PAU, highlighted the impact of the camp, where 72 students from government, aided, and private schools updated their Aadhaar details. “APAAR IDs play a crucial role in organising students’ academic records and supporting their educational journey. For their generation, Aadhaar details must be updated. The camp may continue next week to benefit more students,” she said.

Beyond identification, the lack of Aadhaar Cards has also affected scholarship applications. A significant number of students in government schools are unable to gain financial aid due to the complex application process. Teachers across the district have raised concerns that only a small percentage of eligible students from Classes 9 to 12 have successfully applied, as the online submission process remains difficult to navigate.

Acknowledging these challenges, district education officer (Secondary) Dimple Madan emphasised that many students lack crucial documents, which renders them ineligible for such schemes. Therefore, such camps would be helpful in overcoming these obstacles.

District education officer (Elementary) Ravinder Kaur also noted that similar camps are being conducted for primary school students. “In recent weeks, camps were held in Gaispura and Hassanpur, leading to the generation and updating of over 700 Aadhaar IDs,” she said. She further added that so far, private primary schools have generated 50.17% of APAAR IDs, while government primary schools have achieved 60% completion.