Bhubaneswar: Following an amendment to Aadhaar Act, the state government has directed all the departments to make Aadhaar authentication mandatory for selection beneficiaries under various welfare schemes.

Finance department has recently issued a circular along with the guidelines laid down by the Centre in this regard.

“As per the provision of Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Act, 2019, the state government can, henceforth, mandate use of Aadhaar authentication for the beneficiaries of schemes which are partly or fully funded out of Consolidated Fund of the state,” read the circular issued to all departments.

For implementation of the provisions, the department concerned has to issue a notification for a specific scheme.

At present, the Centre uses Aadhaar-based direct benefit transfer (DBT) for 439 schemes implemented by 55 ministries and departments. The schemes can be categorised as Central Sector Schemes and Centrally Sponsored Schemes. While the former are fully funded by the Centre and implemented by the Union machinery, the latter have contributions from the Centre and states in various proportions, and are implemented by the state governments.

Now, along with the Centrally-funded schemes, the state government funded schemes will also be linked with Aadhaar.

Now, poor people will be forced to get enrolled themselves in Aadhaar and open bank accounts, which is a difficult task for them as many of them are illiterate. Otherwise, people may be deprived of their rights to get benefit from various welfare schemes.

Orissa POST has been highlighting how several people have been deprived of their entitlements over Aadhaar related issues. Absence of Aadhaar linking had been a cause of major concern for scores of NFSA beneficiaries in Rajia and other panchayats under Champua block in Keonjhar district. Hundreds of beneficiaries were deprived of the monthly quota of subsidized rice.

OP has also highlighted the penury of an elderly woman Bhasi Naik, a resident of Unit 6 area under Capital Police limits, November 15, 2019. Bhasi was deprived of NFSA ration due to difficulties in Aadhaar authentication over her old age. The incident exposed the dark side of linking all the social security schemes to Aadhaar details of the

beneficiaries.

However, the authorities swung into action and provided her 1 quintal of rice following the report.

The state government has made Aadhaar mandatory for paddy procurement, State Food Security Scheme, etc and is planning to do so for old age pension schemes.