Declared dead by data: Karnataka woman struggles to prove she’s alive

HOSAPETE (VIJAYANAGARA): An administrative error has left a woman in Hosapete struggling to prove she is alive after she was officially recorded as ‘deceased' in Aadhaar-linked govt records, abruptly cutting off her access to welfare benefits.N Hampamma, 44, of Dharmasagar village in Hosapete taluk was wrongly declared dead after her Aadhaar details were linked to the death record of another woman from the same locality who shared her name. The error has effectively erased her from govt databases.Officials and local accounts said the other woman, died at the age of 48, in 2024. During the registration of the death, authorities allegedly failed to verify identity details and mistakenly tagged Hampamma's Aadhaar number to the deceased person's record."As a result, all welfare benefits linked to my Aadhaar have been halted, including financial assistance under the Gruhalakshmi scheme, ration supplies and other entitlements. My eligibility for housing and agricultural schemes has also been affected," Hampamma said.She said she has been running from pillar to post for over a year to get the mistake corrected, but officials have given only vague assurances, with no resolution so far.