No denial of benefits sans Aadhaar: Naidu

NEW DELHI: Taking note of the concerns raised by Parliament members over Aadhaar card being made mandatory for availing subsidy benefits, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said no one would be denied benefits for want of Aadhaar card.

According to Section 7 of Aadhaar Act, the beneficiaries who do not have Aadhaar number, shall be enrolled and offered alternative and viable means of identification for receipt of subsidy, benefit or service till the number is assigned, he said.

"This will ensure that that no genuine and deserving beneficiary is denied of his entitlements," the Information and Broadcasting Minister said in an official statement. He was responding in reference to the discussions in the Rajya Sabha where the opposition yesterday protested against making Aadhaar card mandatory for availing government benefits like subsidised LPG, PDS supplies and pensions.

Naidu said that as of now, more than 103 crore people have Aadhaar and as far as its coverage among adults was concerned, 97 per cent of them were covered under it. However, there could be some areas in our country such as Assam, Meghalaya, etc. where people may not have gotten Aadhaar as yet, he added. The use of Aadhaar will eliminate corruption, ensure hassle-free and faster delivery of benefits into bank account without any intermediaries and diversions, he said. —PTI