Union Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said that a dedicated Aadhaar Seva Kendra (ASK) would be opened in Dharwad.
The Union Minister’s reply comes in the wake of a public outcry following a letter sent to him by Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi.
In a letter dated December 30, Mr. Joshi highlighted the significant gap in the infrastructure of Aadhaar services in his parliamentary constituency, citing the submissions of the Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad.
He pointed out that earlier there were two Aadhaar Seva Kendras with 24 ECMP (Enrollment Client Multi-Platform) kits in his constituency and now it has been reduced to one ASK in Hubballi with only four ECMP kits, a net reduction of 20 ECMP kits, which has seriously affected the delivery capacity of the district.
Highlighting the hardships faced by the public, the minister said that students, senior citizens and residents of rural areas were forced to travel long distances to access Aadhaar services.
In his letter, he said that out of 79 functional centers in the region, 36 were UCL/CELC centers which were limited to minor updates and enrollment of children. He emphasized that full spectrum services including Mandatory Biometric Updates (MBU) for residents aged 5-15 years and above could only be provided through ECMP kits. In response to his letter, the Union Minister assured the opening of a separate ASK for Dharwad.
Published – 02 Jan 2026 20:40 IST
