“Geographically, socially and occupationally vulnerable groups such as residents of slum, resettlement colonies of F,G and H categories, notified abadi in rural village, shelter-less persons, transgenders, households with disable people, single women, children living without protection, ragpickers, unskilled construction workers, porters, casual daily wagers, and cycle rickshaw pullers will all be eligible under the scheme,” she declared. The government had already identified eligible households, and a total of 73.5 lakh people, of the city population of 1.68 crore, would benefit from the scheme, she said. Great news, right?
So imagine my surprise when I read the following headline recently: “Move to make Aadhaar mandatory must be challenged”. I had written recently about the Aadhaar card, and how it was neither a legal requirement nor have any legal or statutory authority. Though Delhi had made Aadhaar compulsory as of 1 January, 2013 for access to any government service, I distinctly remembered reading about a Supreme Court order from last September that declared that Aadhaar was not compulsory for availing social welfare benefits. So what on earth was going on?
As it turns out, the authorities had been turning down people who ought to rightfully benefit from the Food Security Scheme for not having Aadhaar cards because the Delhi government's guidelines under the Act ask for Aadhaar details for identifying the eligible households. The last date for submission of the applications for the food security card is March 15. agencies. The Delhi High Court has referred a petition against the same filed by Mr. Ram Kishan and others to a larger bench, but let’s take a look at why making Aadhaar compulsory would contradict the purpose of the Scheme.
The food security scheme works on the basis of “individual entitlement”- this means that each individual is entitled to 5 kgs of grain. So for a family of four to get their entitled amount of grain, it wouldn’t be enough for two of them to have Aadhaar cards, but all of them. You may wonder why they don’t all just get the card and be done with it, but scroll up and read the list of people who should benefit from the scheme in the former Minister’s own words again. It’s glaringly obvious that homeless people or children living without protection or even your average slum dweller will find it difficult to obtain their Aadhaar cards, simply because they won’t have the necessary identification proof or address. Add to this the problem of people with disabilities, and the fact that it’s a biometric card, and the system is clearly not feasible- the very reasons why the Supreme Court issued its order in the first place.
If the intention of the Food Security Scheme really is to feed the poorest of the poorest, to help the disadvantaged and the disenfranchised, it is vital that it does not restrict accessibility through unrealistic conditions like the Aadhaar. The scale is just too large, and poverty too rampant, for Aadhaar to be viable just yet. Hopefully, the Delhi High Court bench tasked with determining the validity of the petition against making Aadhaar compulsory to avail the Food Security Scheme will feel the same way.
Last Indian Summer's Music Recco: Indigo Children- Sing To Me
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