According to news reports, 18,66,803 (approx. 19 lakh) beneficiaries whose Aadhaar numbers were not seeded to their PDS ration cards have been declared bogus. This follows the Odisha government’s Food Supply and Consumer Welfare Department making linking of Aadhaar numbers with ration cards mandatory, with 15 September 2019 as the deadline. Ground reports also indicate that the the foodgrains entitlements for these 19 lakh beneficiaries have not been delivered to ration shops.

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On October 11, members of the Odisha Khadya Adhikar Abhijan handed over a letter apprising the Odisha State Food Commission that most of these so-called bogus beneficiaries possess an Aadhaar number which they have already submitted to the concerned dealers and officials. They are clueless as to why their Aadhaar numbers have not been seeded to their PDS ration cards. Further, a substantial number of persons comprising children, the elderly and the disabled are yet to get an Aadhaar number for reasons beyond their control such as the biometric device at the enrolment centre being unable to read their fingerprints, Aadhaar enrolment centres being far away from their villages, etc. For these families and individuals  the supply of foodgrains against their ration cards has been stopped without any notice or prior intimation.

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The Abhijaan, along with the Right to Food campaign, Rethink Aadhaar and others, urges the Odisha government to take the following steps immediately:

1. Publish names of beneficiaries declared bogus:The details of the individuals whose ration cards have been declared bogus should be published by the department on their website and should also be pasted on the walls of the Gram Panchayat buildings, in rural areas, and ration dealers’ shops, in the urban areas. The department should aim to conduct a door-to-door verification of all PDS beneficiaries, giving them a chance to identify themselves through other documents/ methods than Aadhaar-based authentication.

1. Release beneficiaries’ foodgrain entitlements: Foodgrains are a fundamental right for all beneficiaries covered under the NFSA and cannot be denied for technological reasons such as non-linking of Aadhaar. All beneficiaries whose ration entitlement has been denied for the past two months should be released urgently.

1. Provide alternatives to Aadhaar authentication: PDS being one of the most successful schemes in the state and a major enabler of food security for  large numbers of people, the state government should explore other options of identity authentication in place of Aadhar based biometric authentication.

1. Respect the SC judgment: The Supreme Court in its Aadhaar judgment has clearly stated that no beneficiaries should be deprived of their rightful entitlement for want of Aadhaar. Such deprivation from entitlements is therefore a  contempt of the apex court’s order.In sum, the state should immediately refrain from denying ration to otherwise eligible beneficiaries on a mere technical plea that their Aadhaar numbers are not linked with PDS.

The full letter to the Odisha State Food Commission, along with supporting documents, can be accessed here.

For further information, please email contact@rethinkaadhaar.in or tweet to or @OrissaRtf.