New Delhi, Nov. 5 -- The Congress on Thursday attacked the Centre over Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh's reported remarks that voter ID will replace Aadhaar for identifying beneficiaries for social welfare programmes, saying "vote chori" is just the trailer and the full picture is "haq-huqooq (rights) chori".
Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh reportedly said that access to financial benefits and welfare payments under schemes of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj will now require an Elector's Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number along with mandatory biometric authentication.
Reacting to his remarks, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Over the past few days the Union Minister of Panchayati Raj has said not once but twice that Voter ID will replace Aadhaar for identifying beneficiaries for social welfare programmes. Is this now official Modi Govt policy?"
If indeed it is, then it means that Aadhaar will not be used for the primary purpose for which it was conceived and intended, he said.
There have been legitimate concerns that the way Aadhaar has been used, lakhs have been denied access to social welfare
and security schemes, Ramesh said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.