Wed Jan 08 09:06:11 UTC 2025: ## Karnataka Cook Declared “Dead” in Government Records, Seeks Rectification
**Belagavi, Karnataka – January 8, 2025** – A cook from Savgaon in Belagavi district, Ganapati Kakatkar, has been battling bureaucratic red tape after being mistakenly declared dead in various government records. The error, stemming from a data entry mishap in 2022, resulted in the denial of government benefits, the closure of his bank accounts, and the rejection of his applications for small farmer facilities.
Mr. Kakatkar first noticed the issue in August 2023 when he was refused rations at the village fair price shop. He discovered that a data entry operator had incorrectly linked his Aadhaar number to the records of his deceased grandfather. Attempts to rectify the error through letters to the UIDAI and the central government proved unsuccessful, as did an RTI application.
After months of struggling to resolve the issue, Mr. Kakatkar filed a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner’s office. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan has since ordered an inquiry and pledged to correct the records in collaboration with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). The incident highlights the potential pitfalls of relying solely on digital records and underscores the need for robust error-correction mechanisms within government systems.
First Piper 