Panchayat scheme benefits to be linked to voter IDs, not Aadhaar: Union Minister
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New Delhi: Union Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh has said voter ID cards will be used instead of Aadhaar to identify beneficiaries of government assistance under panchayat-related schemes, amid continuing concerns over deletions from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Speaking at a national workshop on the Jan Yojana Abhiyaan on Friday, Singh said beneficiaries would be required to provide biometric details along with their Elector's Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers. He questioned the reliability of Aadhaar as an identification mechanism, arguing that cards could be obtained easily.
However, the minister did not specify which particular benefits or payment programmes would require voter ID-based identification.
His remarks came during discussions on the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana, which replaces the Rashtriya Gram Swarajya Abhiyan and seeks to strengthen gram panchayats in planning and implementing local development initiatives.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of growing opposition to the SIR exercise, with political parties and civil society groups warning that genuine voters could be excluded from electoral rolls.
The Supreme Court upheld the legality of the revision in May but clarified that the Election Commission cannot determine citizenship through the exercise. Meanwhile, protests demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation have continued across the country since October 2.