COIMBATORE: The School Education Department has targeted around 15 lakh students in all schools across the state to complete the Mandatory Biometric Update (MBU) by the end of December through the postal department.

Official sources say around 15 lakh students, including 8 lakh aged between 5 and 7 in the primary section and 7 lakh aged between 15 and 17 in the high and higher secondary sections in all types of schools across the state, have to update their MBU to receive scholarships under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme.  

The School Education Department has signed an MoU with the Postal Department to finish the process. This work was carried out by ELCOT in schools during the last academic year, and it is now waiting to obtain authorisation from the UIDAI. 

ELCOT had earlier carried out tasks such as MBU, name corrections, and other related Aadhaar updates free of cost. However, apart from MBU, if students require other Aadhaar-related services, they have to pay `49 or `99 to the postal department, depending on the service, at schools ," sources added.

An education officer in Coimbatore told TNIE that out of the 31,000 students in the Coimbatore division 1,348 students in government and private schools have completed the MBU since last month.

"If ELCOT obtains authorisation from the UIDAI, other Aadhaar-related services will be offered to government school students free of cost," he said.