Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Wednesday categorically clarified that "February 15 is not the deadline for Aadhaar-linked subsidy cooking gas supply".
Appealing to people to not panic, the Chief Minister said that people who have already enrolled and did not receive their cards, or have lost their Aadhaar cards, need not go to the
Aadhaar enrolment centres again, as the system would not accept and register their names again.
In an emergency meeting held at the state Secretariat, the Chief Minister directed officials to extend the services in 60 Mee Seva centres in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts in a week's time for issuing duplicate cards, in case cases in which cards have either been lost or not received.
He instructed officials to open 300 new Aadhaar centres in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy district alone.
The Chief Minister said that till everyone in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy District and other three pilot districts of Anantapur, Chittoor and East Godavari are enrolled, the supply of subsidized gas cylinders would continue as at present.
He asked officials to open 100 additional centres every week. He said that arrangements would be made soon for the ceding of Aadhaar cards with cooking gas distributors online and through Mee Seva centres.
Kiran Kumar Reddy also stated that the process of issuing Aadhaar cards all over AP must be completed in the next four to five months.
Officials explained that out of the total population of 8.5 crore to be covered in AP, 6.5 crore have already been enrolled, and that Aadhaar cards generated so far were 5.3 crore. They say that only 2 crore persons remain now.
Chief Secretary Minnie Mathew, Civil Supplies Commissioner Sunil Sharma, Principal Secretary (Finance) Dr. P V Ramesh, Secretary (IT&C) Sanjay Jaju, representatives of all oil companies, and other officials attended the meeting. (INN)