Pranab asks states to use Aadhaar nos to distribute ration, LPG

The move will curb expenditure and streamline delivery mechanism

PTI | June 8, 2012



In order to curb expenditure and streamline delivery mechanism, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday asked states to use the Aadhaar platform for distributing subsidised ration and cooking gas cylinders, and implement other government schemes.

"...given the huge potential of the Aadhaar initiative to streamline delivery and empowering the common citizen, while at the same time curbing expenditure, it is in our mutual interest to get these pilots going at the earliest," he said in his letter to chief ministers of 16 states.

In his letter, Mukherjee also underlined the need for expeditious rollout of Aadhaar-enabled payments for various central government schemes.

In the first stage, such payment mechanism would be rolled out for various central government schemes in 50 districts spread over 16 states.

Mukherjee said that pilots are proposed to be run for Public Distribution System, LPG distribution, kerosene disbursal.

Besides, government pension schemes, Janani Suraksha Yojana, government scholarships, financial inclusion, Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) and MGNREGS wage disbursal would also come under the pilot project.

In his 2012-13 Budget Speech, Mukherjee had said that the Aadhaar platform was now ready to support payments under various schemes directly to the beneficiaries' accounts.

The letter was written to chief ministers of States and Union Territories -- Kerala, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Delhi, Puducherry, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Mukherjee also asked them to further expand the list of districts already chosen in their respective States or Union Territories for running these pilots.

The Aadhaar scheme aims to provide each citizen with a 12-digit unique number to ensure, among other things, that the funds allocated by the Centre for various schemes directly reach the beneficiaries.

As on March 7, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has issued 13.80 crore Aadhaar cards till March 7.

Comments

 

Other News

Who checks the books?

I read about the news about the Coimbatore library over coffee this morning. On the face of it, the headline was about a political ‘war’ between the DMK and TVK. But what stayed with me was something much more important than the blame game behind what had transpired. A writer walking through

Development paradox: Falling poverty miracle and an inequality problem

India’s reduction in poverty over the past decade is a development achievement of considerable significance. The World Bank’s April 2026 ‘India Development Update’ estimates that the share of Indians living below the international extreme-poverty line of $3.00 per person per day i

In Arunachal, a river we call mother

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang is not just a river. For many of us, especially the Adi people, it is part of our family. Our grandparents fished in it. Children learned to swim in it. Our farms drink from it. When someone says a huge dam will be built on it, we do not hear the word "project".

A new retelling of the Mahabharata delves into key moments

In a time when every decision carries consequences and questions of ambition, power, loyalty, identity and moral choice continue to shape our lives, Dr. Arun Krishnan’s new book, ‘Mahakshana’ (Penguin India) offers a strikingly relevant retelling of the Mahabharata.  

Cabinet approves viability gap funding to develop grid-scale energy storage systems

The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, has approved the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) Scheme for Development of Grid-Scale Energy Storage Systems, with a total financial support of Rs.14,500 crore for the period FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31. The scheme aims to support the development o

Cabinet creates a pathway to absorb Agniveers in Defence Forces

An objective assessment in terms of organisational requirements and operational efficiency has brought out the outstanding performance of Agniveers in terms of skills, motivation levels, physical fitness and technological prowess. As envisaged earlier, based on merit, 25% of Agniveers will be offered reg

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter