The East Godavari district can now proudly boast of successfully completing the Aadhaar enrolment in the district.
Of the total population, which was 51.51 lakh per the 2011 census, 54 lakh persons enrolled for the Unique Identification Number. So far, cards have been distributed to 41.63 lakh people.
The district administration has arranged as many as 46 Aadhar enrolment centres across the district at the collectorate, revenue divisional offices, assembly constituency head quarters and other such places.
Meanwhile, Aadhaar linked Direct Benefit Cash Transfer Scheme was launched in January by Union minister for rural development Jairam Ramesh. According to this scheme, the subsidy amount will directly be transferred to the bank account of the beneficiary, as the Aadhaar card and the bank accounts will be linked.
Since a majority has received the cards, the district administration has begun supplying essential commodities with Aadhaar linked system in 100 fair price shops across 14 mandals in the district. This scheme will be introduced in other shops too in a phased manner.
The Aadhaar process, which began in 2010, has aided in weeding out bogus ration cards in the district, with around 3,000 such fake cards being seized in Gollaprolu mandal.
Since it becomes more difficult to use bogus ration cards after the sale has been linked to Aadhaar, holders of many fake cards are avoiding the fairprice shops, thus saving considerable quantities of rice, keresone, oil etc.
Collector Neetu Prasad and joint collector Ahmed Babu are monitoring the functioning of Aadhaar centres from time to time in the district.
But people who haven’t received the cards are a worried lot as the government is planning to soon link Aadhaar and LPG connection to transfer consumers’ subsidies directly into their account.
District civil supplies officer Ravi Kiran said that steps were being taken to complete the process as early as possible.
EG Gets ‘Natl Aadhaar Governance Award’
East Godavari district bagged the “National Aadhar Governance Award’ for entering into second phase of Aadhaar with 90 per cent enrolment by Oct 2012.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented the award to collector Neetu Prasad and joint collector Ahmed Babu in a special meeting convened at Dudu in Jaipur district of Rajastan on Oct 20 last year. Civil supplies commissioner Hari Preeth Singh received Aadhaar Excellence Award in the same meeting.