MUMBAI: Aadhaar will be compulsory for school students and they will have to apply for it by June 26. It will be linked with children’s admission numbers and government benefits they are entitled to. Over 1 crore children in the state up to14 years of age will be brought under Aadhaar.The move is aimed at ensuring that no child drops out of school before he/she completes education or at least till attaining elementary education and gets benefits of all government schemes.

A government resolution on Tuesday said the target to bring children aged 6-14 has to be achieved between April 26 and June 26. Education officers, school principals and collectors have been given responsibility of reviewing the Aadhaar card status of children in their areas.

Sources said the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), through the state government, has directed the state’s school education and women and child welfare departments to employ agencies to bring the children under Aadhaar, instead of deploying teaching staff. But the government wants school staff to create maximum awareness among students and ensure their registration quickly.

It also wants these departments to take up a massive public campaign.

“Every year, around 24 lakh children are born in the state. UIDAI wants them to be added every year,” said deputy director-general of UIDAI’s regional office in Mumbai Ajay Pandey. Hence, UIDAI wants children up to six years to also register even though the GR states six years onwards.

Schools principals said the additional burden will be a hindrance in their academic duties. “The government keeps adding tasks to our to-do-lists and expects us to deliver quality education,” said Prashant Redij, Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher Secondary School Principals’

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