Rst Aadhaar recipient recalls ‘false show’ of publicity
Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Ms. Sonawane, 35 back then, was mobbed by journalists from across the country and interviewed. “What is the point of speaking about my struggle? Does Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh even read what I have spoken about numerous times through journalists in the last 14 years,” asked Ms. Sonawane who belongs to the Bhil tribe.
She does not want to take out her Aadhaar card any more for photos. It is tucked in a suitcase.
A few solar panels were once installed on the streets of her village, but there is no electricity in most of the huts. Ms. Sonawane has rented a power connection from her neighbour to light a bulb for ₹100 per month. Like her, most of the villagers do not have access to toilets.
There is an old sewing machine in her hut. “Today I stitched two blouses, I will get ₹100. My son who dropped out of college due to nancial constraints left home early looking for work. I had only ₹20 that I gave him to buy food.”
Her eldest son, Umesh Sonawane, 22, is pursuing a postgraduate degree in commerce, and the youngest son (15) is training to get a job with the Maharashtra Police.
Her husband, Sadashiv Sonawane, has just returned home. Looking at his face, Ms. Sonawane guessed that he did not make any money today. “Hopefully our son will get money to buy rice for dinner,” said Ms. Sonawane. The clay hut is partially shaded by a tin sheet and a thatched roof.
“The blue and white paint was done during that time by the sta¥ who were beautifying our village,” she said. Recalling the days before the Aadhaar card was launched, she said those days were like a 15day festival ahead of the event. “Suddenly our village got concrete roads, huts were painted, electric meters were installed, and we were told that the monthly bill would be ₹15... from next month onwards, the bill was ₹3,000, which was impossible for us to afford, so the electricity department took away the meters.”
Ahead of the Aadhaar launch, Ms. Sonawane and other residents were prepped for the event. “A team of ve came from
Mumbai and educated us about the card, said that the objective was to ensure better delivery of social security schemes. We thought this entire programme was to pull us all out of deprivation...But it was all a false show for them to garner likes and publicity out of our poverty, and for the media houses to gain ratings.”
Today, Ms. Sonawane’s neighbours and relatives snigger at her situation. “What is the big deal about being the rst person to receive Aadhaar card? The tribal ministers did nothing for the community who are the majority here, but they visit without any guilt seeking votes,” Ms. Sonawane said.