Whose Aadhaar card was made first in India?
In 2010, this lady, Ranjana Sonawane living in village Tembli in Nadurbar district of Maharashtra , was asked by officials to come to one building for signing some documents. She reported there along with ten other village folks.
She was told that she and her son Hitesh would be the first Aadhar card holders of the country. She was to be ready for big event.
On 29th September 2010, she became famous in country as on this day, she was handed over first Aadhar card by then PM Dr Manmohan Singh in presence of Smt Sonia Gandhi. The village was also promised some houses. Total ten numbers of Aadhar cards were distributed in that village.
She laminated the card and always kept under pillow in her shanti as it was precious and she didn’t want thieves to steal it.
Welcome to year 2018. Aadhar card is most discussed instrument. Eight years since possessing the Aadhar, the life of Ranjana Sonawane is still in languish.
- The entire village of 1600 today has Aadhar card but no toilets neither at public place nor at homes.
- The Aadhar card comes out of suitcase only once in a month for taking wheat and rice from ration shop.
- She later enlarged the Aadhar card as wall paintings by spending Rs 1200. She has been told that there is mistake in spellings in Aadhar card. She will have to pay Rs 200 to get the mistake rectified.
- The celebrity status has not added any income for her. She is paid same daily wages of Rs 100 when she goes as labourer to farms.
- She gets work only three days in a week.
- She and her husband Sadashiv eat lesser food and feed the most to their school going children.
- The unemployment is so serious that half of village population has migrated to Gujrat for jobs.
- By showing Aadhar, she has received one gas cylinder in last seven months. She continues to use firewood for cooking food.
- The government built 85 houses in village. She along with others was happy to shift into new houses but on one stormy night, entire roof of houses were blown away. The construction quality was substandard.
- The government officials took away the electricity meters. They all shifted back to their old shanties.
- One day bank officials landed at her hut and asked to open bank accounts and link rhem with Aadhar. She opened five bank accounts, three for children, one each for her and husband. Her husband paid Rs 580 and herself Rs 1000 as initial deposit.
- She wanted to construct toilet. She met Tahsildar and showed him Aadhar. The official refused to give her grant for building toilet on the ground that her name is not there in list of beneficiaries.
- She want to have one toilet but doesn’t have Rs 12000 to pay to take benefit of toiler scheme of Modiji.
The Aadhar card that was held to be diamond in 2010, is worth 10 kg wheat and 15 kg rice only.
