Delhi admissions: How Aadhaar has put EWS candidates in a spot

The Delhi government has dropped a bombshell on unsuspecting parents seeking admissions for their children under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in private schools. An income certificate is mandatory to apply for an EWS seat. As per the Right to Education Act, 25 percent of seats at the entry level are reserved for students from EWS. Those do not have an Aadhaar number are in a fix. While an Aadhar number takes 60-90 days to be issued after enrolment, last date for applications is less than 15 days away. An income certificate, according to the government, cannot be issued without an Aadhaar number. [caption id=“attachment_576470” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representative image. Reuters.[/caption] Slamming the Delhi government’s move to link Aadhaar to a child’s fundamental right to education, Khagesh Jha, Delhi High Court advocate and education activist, said: “Income certificate is not related to welfare. It is an exercise of a citizen’s fundamental right. Today the government is saying that if you don’t have Aadhar, they won’t issue income certificate, tomorrow they’ll say if you don’t have Aadhaar, we won’t register an FIR. How can the government do this?” Explaining how the government is infringing on a citizen’s fundamental right by making Aadhaar compulsory for issue of income certificate, Jha said: “The income certificate is a mandatory document to apply for an EWS seat. And the benefit of EWS flows from the Right to Education, which is guaranteed as a fundamental right by the Constitution (under Article 21 and Article 21a). You are making fundamental rights conditional to Aadhar? How can the government do this?” Responding to news reports that that the Revenue Department had on Monday (December 31st) issued a notification making it mandatory for citizens to have Aadhaar for accessing government services, Jha said: “The revenue department cannot issue such a notification because it will be in conflict of Article 21. It will be immediately quashed by the High Court.” Jha said he has been receiving anxious calls from many parents telling him that they have been turned away by the SDM’s office –responsible for issuing income certificates — because they don’t have aadhar numbers. Satkar Gupta, a resident of Shakti Nagar in North Delhi, who works as an electrician was told off by SDM office in Tis Hazari because he didn’t have Aadhaar. “I went to the SDM’s office this morning and showed my documents to one of the officials there. I have a voter ID card, a ration card and an electricity bill in my name. But the official said that without an Aadhaar card, the income certificate will not be issued. I was sent back.” Asked what he would do now and whether he had received any information on enrolling for Aadhaar, he said: “I don’t have any information on where I can enroll for an Aadhaar card. Besides, I am hard-pressed for time. To make an income certificate it takes at least 10 days. How will I be able to get an Aadhar card, apply for an income certificate and then submit the applications before January 15?” He adds, “If my income certificate is issued in ten days, I will have at least two days to submit the applications. I can apply to at least 5-6 schools. Already, we are facing so many problems, it will be a big relief if the income certificate can be issued without Aadhaar. I don’t what to do now” Gupta has two children two children, aged 3 and 5 years. An official from the Saraswati Vihar SDM office, in North-West Delhi, confirms the new rule:“From 1st, the Aadhar has been made compulsory for the income certificate.”