India Has Become Too Rich To Let Petty Clerks Torment Us

Middle-income countries tend to prosper by relieving people of petty pains but signs of it in India are weak

- MANU JOSEPH

Every time I have to interact directly with the government, I wonder, "Why doesn't it like me?" I usually avoid direct contact. But unfortunately, for nearly two months, I have been trying to get an Aadhaar number for a minor. After giving her biometrics, it has been a tale of torment. I learned that the site of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has been partially down for months. The site would have been kinder to me if it were entirely down, but its cruelty is in drawing me to fill out all the numbers, including the exact second when biometric data was given, and then saying, "We're unable to process your request due to temporary outages of our services." For weeks, the same message. It's a vital site, but has been this way for months.

A tout told me that I would get an Aadhaar number if I paid ₹4,000. So, I wonder, though I have no evidence beyond the experience of being an Indian, if there is a connection between the site being partially down and the subterranean system that charges a fee to get the job done. It is the same with many other government services, like the renewal of a driver's licence. Everything is supposed to be 'online,' but nothing is. The link is always down, but a tout can get things done. Also, I suspect that the poor are not as harassed as the upper-middle class because we can pay more in bribes. (A system that is corrupt for the rich but efficient for the poor could make it look as though the process is clean.)