K'taka: Delay in authentication of Aadhaar with SATS deprives 26 lakh students of many govt schemes
Bengaluru: Around 26 lakh primary and high school students from government, aided, and private schools across Karnataka are reportedly being deprived of midday meals, scholarships, and other schemes due to failure of Aadhaar authentication with the Student Achievement Tracking System (SATS).
The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has expressed dissatisfaction over the delay in completing Aadhaar authentication, despite the process being underway for the past two years, as reported by The Hindu on Tuesday.
The Commissioner of Public Instruction has decided to take disciplinary action against the officials responsible for the delay. A seven-day deadline has been set to complete the Aadhaar authentication process.
The DSEL has been working on the Aadhaar authentication process alongside SATS for the past two years to ensure the proper implementation of the midday meal programme, scholarships, and other initiatives, while also gathering accurate data on the number of students.
Out of a total of 1.04 crore students in the state from classes 1 to 10, only 78 lakh have successfully completed the Aadhaar authentication process, the report stated. Around 18 lakh students’ Aadhaar records remain unauthenticated in the system. Additionally, about 8 lakh students had their Aadhaar authenticated, but it was deemed unsuccessful due to mismatches between the student's details and the information in Aadhaar and SATS.
A senior official of DSEL stated that if Aadhaar authentication with SATS fails, it will impact the implementation of the midday meal and other programmes for school students. Inaccurate student numbers may lead to the Union Government objecting to the release of funds. “In addition, other departments, including the Social Welfare Department, Backward Classes Welfare Department and Minority Welfare Department, will not be able to reach the students with other schemes, including scholarships. Aadhaar authentication with SATS is the only solution for all these problems,” the official was quoted as saying by the news outlet.
K.V. Trilokchandra, Commissioner of DPI, has issued a circular to all Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPIs), Block Education Officers (BEOs) and other department officials, instructing them to complete the Aadhaar authentication process within the given time frame.
He mentioned that Aadhaar authentication is mandatory with SATS to deliver various government schemes to children. "The Aadhaar authentication process has been simplified recently and all students Aadhaar authentication with SATS process will be completed soon," he added.
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Deaf and mute woman breaks 16-year silence, exposes serial sexual abuse, blackmail in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): A deaf and mute woman's complaint about a sexual assault that took place 16 years ago in Mumbai has unmasked a serial predator, revealing a disturbing pattern of abuse and blackmail he perpetrated on several women from the community.
The accused was arrested on December 13 after the survivor broke her silence recently following the suicide attempt by one of the women he allegedly sexually harassed.
Disturbed by the suicide attempt, she confided in her friends during a video call about the assault that occurred in 2009.
According to the police, the survivor, a resident of the western suburbs, communicated in sign language during a video call with her friends and colleagues, who were part of a WhatsApp group, that the accused had drugged and raped her when she was a minor.
She also took her husband into confidence, and with support from Thane Deaf Association president Vaibhav Ghaisis, activist Mohammed Farhan Khan, sign language interpreter Madhu Keni, and a retired officer from the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute of Speech and Hearing Disabilities Divyangjan, the survivor approached the police.
The survivor, her husband and a few of her friends went to the Kurar police station, where her statement was recorded in camera, with Keni as interpreter, and the accused, Mahesh Pawar, was arrested a few hours later from Virar, a suburb in Palghar district.
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Recalling the trauma she endured 16 years ago, the survivor said that a female friend had invited her to explore the city in July 2009 and took her to Pawar's home in Vakola, Santacruz, an official said.
The accused allegedly offered her samosas and some beverage to celebrate the female friend's birthday. The survivor said she was forced to have the drink, which Pawar had allegedly spiked, and after a while, her friend left her alone with him.
The accused allegedly overpowered and raped her, and later blackmailed her with the recorded video of the assault.
The trauma of assault stayed with her over the years, and the attempted suicide of another woman from the community, allegedly assaulted by Pawar, propelled her to come forward.
A probe has revealed that the accused had similarly drugged and assaulted speech and hearing impaired women and threatened them into silence by blackmailing them with obscene videos, a senior police officer said.
The accused allegedly shot obscene videos of several women, using which he blackmailed them and extorted money, gold and mobile phones, he said.
He allegedly forced women into participating in nude video calls with him and recorded these to threaten them, the official said.
"As per initial investigation so far, we have evidence of his abuse of seven women, but the number can increase to more than 24," the official told PTI.
While Pawar has been remanded in judicial custody, no other woman has come forward with a complaint against him as yet, he said.
Talking to PTI, Keni said all women who have survived abuse and harassment by Pawar want to lodge a complaint against him.
She claimed that the accused had extorted money from one of the women he abused, but did not return the sum even when she needed it for a medical emergency.
