Tue Jan 28 10:56:44 IST 2025: ## Karnataka Faces Delays in Aadhaar Linking, Leaving 2.6 Million Students Without Meals and Scholarships

**Bengaluru, January 28, 2025** – Over 2.6 million primary and high school students in Karnataka are missing out on crucial government benefits, including midday meals and scholarships, due to delays in linking their Aadhaar numbers with the Student Achievement Tracking System (SATS). The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has expressed its strong disapproval of the two-year delay in completing the authentication process, impacting approximately 26 lakh students across government, aided, and private schools.

The problem stems from a mismatch between Aadhaar data and information in the SATS. While the Aadhaar authentication process for 1.04 crore students (classes 1-10) was undertaken, only 78 lakh have been successfully authenticated. Around 18 lakh students remain unauthenticated, and an additional 8 lakh had unsuccessful authentication due to discrepancies in names and other details.

This failure to authenticate Aadhaar numbers is severely impacting the distribution of government benefits. The DSEL warns that inaccurate student counts will lead to the Union Government withholding funds for programs like the midday meal scheme. Furthermore, other departments responsible for scholarships and welfare schemes for students from backward classes and minority communities are unable to reach their intended beneficiaries.

Commissioner of Public Instruction, K.V. Trilokchandra, has issued a directive to complete the Aadhaar authentication within seven days. Disciplinary action will be taken against officials responsible for the delays. While acknowledging the previous challenges, Dr. Trilokchandra assures that the recently simplified authentication process will ensure swift completion. He stated that the issue previously affected 35 lakh students, but significant progress has already been made.

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