Pathanamthitta native Annamma Chacko is 105. But according to her Aadhaar card, she is just 23. The glaring age discrepancy has left the elderly woman struggling to access government services, including pension benefits and treatment at government hospitals.
Annamma’s Aadhaar card, issued in 2018, records her date of birth as January 1, 2003. With no other documents available to prove her actual age, her family has been unable to get the error corrected.
Annamma moved to Andhra Pradesh with her husband, Chacko Jacob, after their marriage, as he worked there as a teacher. He died when she was 45. She continued to live there with their four children, who pursued their education and later settled down with their families. Annamma was eventually cared for by her son, P C Joseph, who worked in the Transport Department in Andhra Pradesh.
Joseph retired in 2007, and the family returned to Ezhamkulam near Adoor in Pathanamthitta in 2015, after their grandchildren completed their schooling. “We missed Ammachi’s (Annamma Chacko’s) documents while we were in Andhra Pradesh. She was already elderly and had only an election ID card. Since she had mobility issues and could not travel, we initially could not arrange fresh documents for her,” recalls Mary Joseph, Annamma’s daughter-in-law.
The family eventually took Annamma to an Akshaya centre in 2018 to obtain an Aadhaar card. “We had to carry her there for the process. She was already 97 by then,” Mary said. But when the card arrived, the family was shocked to find that her date of birth had been recorded as January 1, 2003.
“We initially did not know what to do. My husband and I were also elderly, and I had undergone surgery, so I was mostly confined to home. We could not follow up on the issue immediately. Later, when we needed to take her to a government hospital, we realised that the Aadhaar card was required. By then, we had no other documents except the Aadhaar card with the wrong date of birth. Her name was subsequently removed from the ration card as we were unable to provide any valid identity documents for her,” Mary said.
The family approached Akshaya centres and local panchayat authorities seeking a solution but was told that documentary evidence proving Annamma’s age would be required. She has no school records either.
The family recently raised the issue with the newly elected panchayat authorities and also submitted a complaint to Chief Minister V D Satheesan. Officials have since visited their home and assured them that steps would be taken to resolve the matter. “The previous authorities did not really understand our problem. We were told that a government doctor could certify her age and that the Aadhaar could then be corrected based on the certificate. But we could not find a doctor willing to do it. Our main concern was ensuring that she could access treatment whenever needed. Thankfully, she has not faced any major health issues, and we have managed her medical needs by consulting doctors at private hospitals. Now officials have come home and told us that the procedure is underway. We hope the issue will finally be resolved,” Mary said.
However, Akshaya Project Officers contacted by Onmanorama ruled out updating Aadhaar without valid documentary proof of the date of birth. “Earlier, a certificate from a Group A Gazetted officer could be used for Aadhaar updates, and government doctors would often certify age in such cases. The Central Government later discontinued this provision after identifying discrepancies. Now, changes can be made only on the basis of valid documents. The primary document is the birth certificate. If that is unavailable, documents issued by an education board or department, a passport, or a government employee ID or pension document can be used,” said Shinu S, Akshaya Project District Officer, Pathanamthitta.
He said Annamma’s case had not previously come to his notice. “I will discuss it with the state-level authorities to see if any special provision can be made. I have not encountered a similar case during my career, nor have we received any complaint from the family or direction from higher authorities,” he said. Other District Project Officers also said they could not make exceptions as Aadhaar falls under the Central Government. “A valid document has to be uploaded at the beginning of the updation process, and the procedure cannot be completed without it. A person can update the Date of Birth only two times,” they said.
Ezhamkulam ward member Biju John said correcting the error was important not only for accessing welfare benefits but also to avoid complications in future legal and administrative matters. “It is not just about the old-age pension. If the family needs to partition assets, the Aadhaar details could become an issue. Also, they could even face difficulties in obtaining relevant certificates when needed,” Biju added.
How to update date of birth in Aadhaar
You can update your date of birth by directly visiting any Aadhaar Enrolment Centre across the country and submitting a valid supporting document for verification.
UIDAI accepts 15 types of documents for date-of-birth updates, including a birth certificate, SSLC certificate, passport and PAN card. For the complete list, visit the UIDAI website (www.uidai.gov.in).
