By Express News Service
Published: 20th March 2015 06:03 AM
PUDUCHERRY: Accusing the government of violating the orders of Supreme Court, the AIADMK on Thursday said officials were insisting on Aadhaar details of beneficiaries for disbursing money under the cash for free rice scheme.
Addressing media persons, AIADMK legislator A Anbazhagan said despite the Supreme Court ruling that Aadhaar card was not mandatory for availing benefits of welfare schemes, the administration has not deposited money in the accounts of card holders who failed to link their bank account with the Aadhaar number.
Further, Anbazhagan charged that the government was extending the cash-for-rice benefit even to affluent people and demanded that the scheme be limited only to the poor, besides calling for increasing the amount from Rs 300 to Rs 500 per family.
Alleging that the N R Congress government was ‘cheating’ the Adi Dravidars, he said only Rs 22 crores (Rs 17.56 crores for welfare schemes and Rs 4 crores for construction of houses) was spent for implementation of welfare schemes for the community in 2014-15 against the Rs 119 crores earmarked out of total allocation of Rs 262 crores under the Scheduled caste Sub plan.
He also accused the government of failing to fulfil promises such as enhancement of financial assistance to Adi Dravidar people with chronic ailments from Rs 500 to Rs 2000, assistance for pregnant and lactating mothers from Rs 6000 to Rs 12000 and funeral assistance to Adi Dravidar people from Rs 500 to Rs 10,000.
Claiming that property worth over Rs 200 crore owned by the municipality has been encroached upon by Sri Aurobindo Ashram and some private parties, Anbazhagan demanded that the properties be retrieved forthwith, without any further delay.