BHUBANESWAR, July 7, 2014
Updated: July 7, 2014 12:03 IST
Less than one per cent of workers have Aadhaar-linked bank accounts
Despite several reminders to update accounts of workers registered under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme with Aadhaar card numbers, less than one per cent workers have Aadhaar-number linked bank accounts in Odisha.
As against 38.45 lakh active MGNREGS workers in the State, Aadhaar number of only 5,711 MGNREGS workers are seeded in NREGASoft, an ICT solution that tracks beneficiary-wise progress.
None of the workers in 13 out of 30 districts have bank accounts with Aadhaar number. Districts where workers do not have any Aadhaar-number linked bank accounts include Bargarh, Bhadrak, Boudh, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Kendrapara, Rayagada, Nuapada and Malkanagiri.
Of the 5,711 workers having proper number, Balasore leads the table with 2,332 workers. Khurda and Kandhamal are the other two districts where the number of workers crossed the four-digit mark. If the criterion of Aadhaar number and post office account number are taken into account, only 361 workers are in possession of both.
The Union government is insisting on Aadhaar number-linked wage payment to workers in MGNREGS scheme.
In a letter addressed to District Collectors, Nitin Bhanudas Jawale, Director of Special Projects, expressed concern over the poor number of seeding of Aadhaar numbers in NREGASoft.
He asked Collectors to ensure that Aadhaar number of each worker was seeded in NREGASoft. “The responsibility of correctness of the data entry with respect to Aadhaar number and account details of the workers will lie with the Block Development Officer,” Mr. Jawale directed.
The Collectors were further asked to take steps to get the accounts of the workers opened in case they did not have any.