Linking Aadhaar to pensions during COVID-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the livelihood of millions across India, but it’s the disadvantaged groups that are the most vulnerable. Movement is a problem, so is access to mobility. Add to it the risk of exposure to the disease in the midst of phased lockdowns, shutdowns and containment.
Under such a situation, a complex scenario has emerged in Odisha after the government’s decision to make Aadhaar verification mandatory for pension accounts of the elderly, widows and persons with disability. There are two major schemes—National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) and Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY)—for which the state decided to implement Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Enlisted in these two schemes are a whopping 49 lakh beneficiaries who get a monthly pension in the range of Rs 500 to Rs 700. For them, it is food security and survival. However, the decision for Aadhaar verification could leave them high and dry as according to the government’s statistics, at least 95% of NSAP’s beneficiaries are verified whereas for MBPY, it is a tad lower at 80%.
In sheer numbers, Odisha has close to 22 lakh beneficiaries under NSAP and 27 lakh under MBPY. If Aadhaar verification is strictly followed, close to six lakh beneficiaries may find themselves in a struggle to access their entitlements. Besides the pension, there is the one-time Rs 1,000 ex gratia that they are entitled to. After the matter was raised, the state went easy on the process, but confusion exists at the bottom of the administrative pyramid with different interpretations.
Interestingly, three years ago, it was Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his reservations about the implementation of DBT, which he thought could impact the beneficiaries of such welfare schemes. The intention behind agreeing to Aadhaar verification is to weed out ghost beneficiaries, which is welcome, but the government had time to complete the process that started last year in October. In March, it provided advance pension for the April-July period. Now, it must exercise caution and ensure the vulnerable groups are not pushed to any further risk.