KOLKATA: Get set for a fresh round of confusion if you still haven't got your Aadhaar. The decision to set up enrolment camps at LPG distribution centres in Kolkata, Howrah and Cooch Behar has been put on hold after chief minister Mamata Banerjee's call for a "rethink" on the direct-benefit-transfer for LPG scheme.
The decision to set up Aadhaar enrolment camps at LPG distribution centres in Kolkata, Howrah and Cooch Behar has been put on hold now that chief minister Mamata Banerjee has called for a rethink on the direct-benefit-transfer (DBT) for LPG scheme.
On Friday, the chief minister had said Aadhaar must not be made compulsory for receiving LPG gas subsidy. More than a month back, the Supreme Court had dealt a crippling blow to the UPA's showpiece project by ruling that it could only be issued to those with proven Indian nationality and cannot be made mandatory for accessing public services and subsidies.
The problem is, the petroleum ministry is determined to go ahead with the scheme, leaving lakhs of consumers in the lurch. The ministry insists on making the current system of subsidized gas cylinders valid for non-Aadhaar-linked consumers only for the next three months.
Under the circumstances, the only ray of hope for the lakhs in Bengal who haven't yet got the Aadhaar is the next Supreme Court hearing on November 12.
On September 18, at the first-ever comprehensive meeting at Writers' Buildings on linking the Aadhaar number to the LPG subsidy, all stakeholders had agreed to set up enrolment camps at 46 LPG distribution centres in the three Bengal districts where the scheme was due to be launched from November 1. Only 68% of Kolkata residents are Aadhaar-registered and, according to data available with the oil companies, there are over 12 lakh LPG consumers in the city.
But now, the registrar general of India and the census directorate have referred Mamata's stance to the ministry of home affairs, along with similar views aired by Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa (she has already shot off a letter against the direct benefit transfer scheme to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh).
Considering the two CMs' strong opposition to the petroleum ministry's decision to bulldoze direct benefit transfer despite the Supreme Court ruling, the MHA has deferred setting up camps at LPG distribution centres, said sources.
In the backdrop of the apex court ruling and the petroleum ministry's insistence that after the grace period of three months, a person who does not have an Aadhaar can no longer receive LPG subsidy, Mamata, while saying that the Aadhaar cannot be made mandatory for subsidy, she also threatened to ghearao the IOC regional headquarters in Kolkata.
Her government is also likely to voice its stance at a meeting with petroleum ministry representatives on November 11 at Nabanna, where officials from the registrar-general of India's office and the census directorate and oil companies will be present, said sources.
In both Bengal and Tamil Nadu, the National Population Register (NPR)-based registration is being implemented through the census directorate, under the MHA. Confusion and slow-paced implementation has been prevailing as the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) - under the Planning Commission - has been entrusted with issuing the 12-digit Aadhaar number in several states.
Sushanta Mukherjee, president, West Bengal LPG Distributors Association, said: "We wonder when the camps will come up. They would have ensured maximum enrolment of Aadhaar." An oil company source added: "We are ready to provide the space for the enrolment camps, but the onus of the enrolment lies with the NPR. UIDAI has been organizing these camps, which would have gone a long way in the Aadhaar rollout. All the consumer would have done was to come to the centres with the blue books and Aadhaar numbers would have been issued."
The scheme must be implemented in 235 districts, including 25 in Tamil Nadu and 19 in Bengal.
