When an extra finger gets caught in Aadhaar process

Nashik (Maha), February 16

Thirty-six-year-old Gurudayal Dilbagrai Trikha and Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan have at least one thing in common: Both have an extra finger.

But when it came to getting enrolled for Aadhaar, the extra finger of Trikha’s left hand stuck out like a sore thumb, becoming a stumbling block.

Trikha, resident of Gandhi Nagar locality of Nashik, was struggling for the past eight months to get an Aadhaar card, but he was turned away by several Aadhaar registration centres because it was difficult to collect his fingerprints.

Among other biometric details, Aadhaar registration requires fingerprints of both hands.

What made the process difficult for Trikha, he told PTI, was the fact that not only he has six fingers to his left hand, but the extra finger is joined to the thumb.

“I even met government officials, but to no avail,” said Trikha, who works with a private firm.

As it was a unique case, it attracted the attention of media and a Marathi news channel reported on his predicament.

Following which, apparently because the case got media attention, he could finally register for Aadhaar at one of the centres yesterday where his fingerprints were accepted.

“I completed the whole process yesterday and hope to receive the Aadhaar card soon,” he said.

However, he feels that there would be many who would be finding it difficult to get Aadhaar card due to various kinds of disabilities, and the government must relax the rules in such cases.

“The system should be changed. At least for handicapped people and senior citizens, it should be made easier,” Trikha told PTI. — PTI