A couple from Shirala has raised a grievance with the local administration after being asked to produce a barcoded marriage certificate to correct a minor error in the date of birth on an Aadhaar card. The couple, who married 25 years ago, questioned how they could now produce a document that did not exist at the time.
The issue began when a woman discovered that the year of birth mentioned on her Aadhaar card was incorrect. When she visited the Aadhaar centre to make the correction, officials reportedly demanded her original birth certificate and a marriage registration certificate with a barcode. The couple presented their official marriage certificate from 25 years ago, but it lacked a barcode. Officials, however, insisted that only a barcoded certificate would be accepted for processing the correction.
This led the couple to ask whether they were expected to remarry just to obtain a valid document.
No Software Available to Issue Barcoded Certificates
In an attempt to resolve the matter, the couple approached the sub-district hospital to inquire about obtaining a barcoded certificate. However, officials at the hospital produced a letter from the Deputy Director of Health Services and the Deputy Chief Registrar of Births and Deaths, stating that no government-approved software is currently available to issue barcoded marriage certificates.
The letter further clarified that while the requirement for an online or barcoded marriage certificate has been made mandatory for Aadhaar-related changes, the system to issue such certificates is still under development. The software is undergoing testing and will only be rolled out once it becomes operational.
Although some municipal councils or corporations may have developed their own systems, the letter makes it clear that no state-level mechanism currently exists for generating such certificates.
Citizens Caught in Bureaucratic Confusion
The situation has once again highlighted the bureaucratic hurdles faced by citizens seeking basic document corrections. While Aadhaar authorities insist on a barcoded certificate for updates, the government currently lacks the infrastructure to issue one.
This contradiction has left citizens confused and frustrated. Many are now questioning whether they must wait indefinitely for the new system to be implemented — or, as the Shirala couple sarcastically asked, whether they must remarry to meet the documentation requirements.