Congress flags welfare exclusion after SIR-linked voter ID mandate
· India · The Hindu, Indian Express
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh criticised the Centre for linking special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to welfare access, alleging it could exclude beneficiaries on a massive scale. Union Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lallan Singh) last week suggested welfare payments under Ministry of Panchayati Raj schemes will now require an Elector's Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number with mandatory biometric authentication, arguing Aadhaar is easily obtained fraudulently. Reacting to the remarks, Mr. Ramesh asked if this has become the official Modi government policy, warning that replacing Aadhaar would deny primary purpose for which the unique ID was conceived. The Congress leader cited legitimate concerns that Aadhaar implementation has already denied lakhs access to social welfare and security schemes, and warned making SIR the basis will end up excluding even more people.
Why it matters
The proposed shift from Aadhaar to voter ID for welfare beneficiary identification risks denying social security benefits to millions of eligible citizens, particularly those without voter IDs or facing biometric authentication issues.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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