lucknow

Updated: Oct 04, 2017 15:37 IST

The state cabinet on Tuesday approved draft of the Uttar Pradesh Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill 2017 to enact a new law making Aadhaar card mandatory for direct benefit transfer of any government funds to beneficiaries.

As the new law will make Aadhaar mandatory even for getting benefits under the Public Distribution System, the state government hopes to effectively check pilferage and corruption in implementation of all the government schemes.

Briefing reporters, minister for medical and health and government spokesman Siddharth Nath Singh said the new law will make Aadhaar mandatory to get benefits of any scheme in kind like the food grains given under the PDS. He said the Centre had expected the state government to enact a law to make Aadhaar card mandatory for the direct benefit transfer of any government funds to the beneficiaries. He said Gujarat, Maharashtra and Haryana had already enacted such a law on the pattern of the union government’s Aadhaar Act 2016. Singh did not clarify whether the state government proposed to promulgate an ordinance to enact the new law as the state legislature was not in session now.

MASS MARRIAGE SCHEME

The state cabinet also decided to launch the ‘Mukhyamantri Samuhik Vivah Yojana’ (Chief minister’s mass marriage scheme) for the marriages of daughters of those living below the poverty line.

Under the scheme, a sum of Rs 35,000 per marriage has been approved. Singh said the scheme will cover all sections of the society and the marriage of a minimum 10 couples will be performed at any such mass marriage programme.

He said urban local bodies, district panchayats, area panchayats and NGOs will be authorised to get such marriages performed. A dress, ‘bichhiya’ (toe ring) and a mobile phone will be given to the bride and a sum of Rs 20,000 will be transferred directly to the account. Aadhaar card will also be made mandatory for getting the benefits of this scheme.

FREE SHOES, SOCKS, SWEATERS FOR CLASS 1-8 STUDENTS

The state cabinet also approved the free distribution of shoes, socks and sweaters to students of classes 1 to 8 in primary and upper primary schools of the basic education board in Uttar Pradesh. A sum of Rs 300 crore has been earmarked for the scheme to distribute free shoes, socks and sweaters to about 1.48 crore students. Each pair of shoes will cost Rs 135.75 while Rs 21.85 will be spent on each pair of socks. The prices for sweaters will be decided through e-tendering.

KEROSENE LICENCE

The state cabinet approved an amendment to Uttar Pradesh Kerosene Control (14th amendment) Order 1994 to provide for one-time license for distributing/selling kerosene. Singh said though amendments had been made to Uttar Pradesh Kerosene Control Order 1962 to provide for one-time licence and this came into practice the rules in this regard could not be amended earlier. The state cabinet decided to amend the rules with retrospective effect.