On 27th August 2020,  the Government of Odisha rolled back its plans to link Aadhaar to social pensions, clarifying in a notification that Aadhaar numbers were not needed for pensions in this round, stating that “Aadhaar collection is an ongoing process”. The order followed sustained advocacy by the Right to Food Campaign, Right to Food Campaign Odisha, and Rethink Aadhaar, who pointed out that close to 11 lakh of the most vulnerable would be affected by Aadhaar linkage. The government appears to have paid heed to these concerns, and resolved not to repeat the tragic story of Dukhi Jani who died of starvation after Aadhaar-failures removed her from social security nets. 

However, the Aadhaar-seeding process has not been stopped in its entirety. To the contrary, in the same notification, State officials have been given instructions to enrol more people into Aadhaar. RTF Odisha and Rethink Aadhaar condemn these half measures. Ensuring only a month’s relief is merely cosmetic relief. An order of the High Court of Odisha (dated 26.08.2020 ), in WP (C) No. 20711 of 2020, directed the government to ensure that ex-gratia payments under the pension scheme were not to be denied because of lack of Aadhaar.

Linking social security schemes, whether pensions or the PDS, to Aadhaar causes a multitude of problems, and hardship to the most marginalised. It causes high rates of biometric failure at the point of sale, although biometric authentication is currently limited due to the pandemic. Enrolment in Aadhaar is also difficult for many people. Adding to the difficulties is the fact that updating Aadhaar now costs Rs.100, which puts a price on citizenship rights.

Neither Aadhaar seeding nor Aadhaar-based payments systems work satisfactorily. Wherever Aadhar has been linked to systems, it has caused multiple failures. These failures are often centralised and hidden behind an “black box,” depriving local administration of remedial powers. Aadhaar threatens the stability of well-functioning systems.  

The pension schemes in Odisha are known for their progressive scope and for being people-friendly. They are a lifeline for a wide range of beneficiaries. Aadhaar-seeding would disrupt a well-working system, with no apparent gains. The most vulnerable will be arbitrarily struck off lists, with no mechanisms to appeal, and no clarity on who can help them.  

We urge the government to continue its efforts to support the most vulnerable. If the pandemic and the resultant hardship has made anything clear, it’s that the imperative must be to broaden and deepen the coverage of social support. Rethink Aadhaar and the Right to Food campaign, Odisha will continue to support the state and its people to ensure that food security is available as a matter of right. The Government of Odisha must ensure that every last person is included. We call on the Government of Odisha to totally delink Aadhaar from the pension scheme.