Far from being a tool for enabling service delivery, Aadhaar actually enables nothing. On the contrary, the lack of an Aadhaar or a failure to validate Aadhaar can deny rightful recipients access to life essential services. From pensions to mid-day meals, Aadhaar being imposed recklessly is resulting in disenfranchisement of some of the most vulnerable citizens of the country.
Also see the map of Aadhaar exclusions.
The Direct Benefit Transfer pilot for the Public Distribution system in Ranchi’s Nagri block in Jharkhand resulted in widespread exclusion and denial of food to some of the most needy in the state, as reported by the Right To Food Campaign in February this year. Aadhaar’s ghosts, that the government Read more…
There is a part of the population for whom it’s not a matter of concern if the gas subsidy has reached their accounts but for whom the 222 Rs for each cylinder means a lot, the process of this amount being credited to their accounts has become highly irregular. In Read more…
Even as the Union of India vociferously insists in the Supreme Court that no denial of entitlements happens due to a lack of Aadhaar, the reality on the ground is different. The latest attrocity in the name of preventing leakages is the denial of nutrition to those idenfitied as malnourished Read more…
In October 2017, the Jharkhand Government introduced a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) pilot for the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Nagri – a block on the outskirts of Ranchi. Instead of rice at Re 1 per kg at the ration shop, the PDS cardholders are to receive the subsidy (calculated Read more…
Telangana Benefit Disbursement Portal shows dropping authentication success ratio in 2018 with regard to NREGA and social pensions at 86.14% – it was 90.99% in December, 2017, and 91.87% in November, 2017. This is an average failure of at least 10% authentication, and growing in the last few months Of Read more…
The government hospital in Shahganj, in Jaunpur district Uttar Pradesh refused admission to a woman who was brought in an advanced state of labour. Even as her relatives begged and pleaded with the hospital authorities, a woman doctor is said to have scolded the woman. The reason? She did not Read more…
Even with the deadline for Aadhaar linking being extended to March 31, 2018, Indane Gas, among the largest suppliers of cooking gas in Chennai has gone ahead and frozen the connections of all customers who had not linked their Aadhaar to their gas connection by 31st December 2017. Requests for Read more…
Failure to link Aadhaar numbers has resulted in the termination of pensions for 10,767 people in Faridabad. These include pensions for old age, widows, divyangs, Laadli (girl child), orphans, non-school going children (under 18 years) and eunuchs. These pensions were terminated in September bringing the total number of pensioners down from 96,571 Read more…
A news story by Sukriti Dwivedi in NDVT reports that more than 26,000 people fail to get their Aadhaar authenticated at ration shops in Delhi. WATCH | NDTV special report: #Aadhaar fails ration card holders pic.twitter.com/g8TR4V0wol — NDTV (@ndtv) January 26, 2018 Reasons for failure include internet connectivity issues (in Read more…
Manda Prathap Reddy of Hyderabad applied for an Aadhaar. His application was rejected because of a failure to capture his biometrics accurately. In the meanwhile, he was employed by an Aadhaar enrolment operator as he was in need of money. He worked there for half a month or so. Subsequently, Read more…