BIOMETRICS GIVE BENEFICIARIES A TOUGH TIME

Biometric woes are haunting beneficiaries of various welfare schemes in the state. The government has linked all the welfare schemes with the biometric of beneficiaries without taking into consideration the poor network connectivity in semi urban and rural areas.

The biometric devices do not always receive mobile signals due to which the biometrics of beneficiaries cannot always be authenticated. They are not able to get benefits due to them on account of this.

The situation worsened to such as extent that the biometric devices are now set up on the terrace of buildings housing government offices, ration shops etc with a hope to catch the signals. This has already claimed the life of an old woman in Adilabad district recently who slipped from the staircase after giving her biometric on the terrace to claim Aasara old age pension.

With a view to restrain the misuse of welfare schemes, the government has linked Aadhaar and biometric of all beneficiaries. To claim monthly Aasara pension of `1,000 per month, the beneficiaries have to authenticate their fingerprints at banks, post offices etc. Similarly, E-PoS devices have been installed at all ration shops to ensure that only genuine beneficiaries get `1 per kg rice scheme.

However, the distribution of PDS rice has been affected in all the districts over the past two months, due to poor connectivity in semi urban and rural areas. People living in remote villages and agency areas are forced to come to surrounding urban areas to give their biometrics and claim the benefit.

With this, not even 35 per cent of total ration quota could be distributed in districts this month. While this turned out to be huge saving for the state exchequer, the poor and needy beneficiaries suffered the most.

The plight of senior citizens over 60 years and the physically challenged is pathetic to watch as some of them are forced to climb several flights of stairs to reach the terrace and access the biometric machines. Vexed with this, the beneficiaries are holding dharnas in front of the MRO offices seeking abolition of the biometric system till the network connectivity is improved.

THE PLIGHT of senior citizens and the physically challenged are pathetic to watch as some of them are forced to climb several flights of stairs to reach the terrace and access the biometric machines.