TNN | Updated: Dec 4, 2016, 04.43 AM IST
COIMBATORE: At least 3,500 women turned up at a special camp conducted for them to link their bank accounts to Aadhaar numbers on Friday and first half of Saturday, after rumours spread that by doing so they would get a free deposit of Rs1 lakh in their accounts.
The Tamil Nadu Corporation for Women Development, along with the Aadhaar card division, had been conducting a camp for women to help them link their bank accounts to Aadhaar numbers, since Monday. The five-day camp, which was organised at five rural blocks of Annur, Pasur, Vadakalur, Pachapalayam and Kunnathur in the district, also allowed the fairer sex to open zero balance savings account, link their Aadhaar number to it and get a RuPay card.
Till Friday, officials said, the normal turnout to link bank accounts to Aadhaar numbers was just 800 to 1,000 a day. However, the numbers began to swell since Friday morning. "Initially, we thought they wanted make use of the camp as it was the last day. But by around 10am, many women, who opened accounts and linked Aadhaar numbers to it, asked us when they would receive Rs1 lakh in their accounts and if it was a loan," said a block level officer, who did not want to be named.
"As the number of such enquiries shot up, we realised that something was amiss and asked them about the source of such information," the official further said.
They, however, didn't know the exact source but said someone in their village told them so. "We then informed the other women in the queue that they can only link Aadhaar numbers to bank accounts and by doing so they won't get Rs1 lakh deposited in their accounts," the official said.
"We had a hard time convincing them that no money from the women development corporation would be deposited in their accounts immediately," the officer added.
Residents of Annur, however, said many officers took advantage of the large turnout. "The camp, which was to end on Friday, was on till Saturday in Annur, because they just want as many people as possible to open new accounts or link their existing accounts to Aadhaar cards," said R Kannan, a resident of Annur.