BySribala Vadlapatla, TNN | Feb 14, 2013, 01.51 AM IST
HYDERABAD: If you thought that linking the supply of subsidized LPG cylinders to the Aadhaar card was bad enough, brace yourself for this: The central government is set to route as many as 34 schemes to the intended beneficiaries through the Aadhaar card, procurement of which has become an endless ordeal for the state's residents.
Apart from the domestic LPG subsidy scheme, the ministry of petroleum and natural gas is to link to the unique identity number the supply of PDS kerosene. Similarly, the Union department of food and public distribution is to link to the Aadhaar card the supply of all PDS commodities. However, this is to begin first in the union territories and later to be extended to the states.
In a move that would affect students across the country, the Aadhaar card is to be the conduit for the awarding of scholarship to university and college students, fellowship schemes of the University Grants Commission (UGC), fellowship schemes of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the to be launched subsidy on fee scheme for students. All these schemes are to be administered by the department of higher education under the Union human resources development ministry.
The schemes under the school education department of the HRD ministry which are being linked to the card include the national-means-cum-merit scholarship and the national scheme for incentive for the girl child for secondary education. The remaining schemes are aimed at the cash transfer schemes for the SCs, STs, OBCs, women, minorities and the downtrodden. Twelve schemes under the social justice and empowerment department ministry are to be brought under the ambit of the card. They include the post-matric scholarship for SC students, pre-matric scholarship for SC students, pre-matric scholarships for children of those engaged in unclean occupations, upgradation of merit of SC students, national overseas scholarship schemes for SC students, post-matric scholarships for OBCs, national overseas scholarship for OBCs, post-matric scholarship for economically backward class students and post-matric scholarship for students with disabilities.
The national overseas scholarship for ST students, post-matric scholarship scheme, upgradation of merit scheme and the Rajiv Gandhi national fellowship are the schemes in the Union tribal affairs ministry being linked to the card. For the minorities, the matric scholarship scheme, Maulana Azad national fellowship and merit-cum-means scholarship scheme being implemented by the minority affairs ministry are being brought under the card.
The Dhanalakshmi scheme and Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY) under the women and child development ministry meant for women will be routed through the Aadhaar card as is the Janani Suraksha Yojana under the health and family welfare ministry. The schemes under the labour and employment ministry being linked to the Aadhaar card include the scholarship for the children of beedi workers and payment of stipend to trainees under the scheme for skill development in 34 districts across the country affected by left wing extremism. This would include six districts from AP.
Sources said the public sector banks have already been sent the list of such schemes which will be linked to the Aadhaar card. "Linking the cash transfer schemes to the Aadhasr card is a welcome step as it would eliminate the middlemen who in most cases end up swallowing the money intended for the beneficiaries. But it can work effectively only when all the residents possess the Aadhaar card, which unfortunately is not the case at present," said an official.