Aadhar card linkage to shirk poll promises

Hyderabad,
Sept 11, 2014: Vehemently opposing the proposed linkage of welfare schemes to Aadhar
cards by the TDP government, YSR Congress has said it is a bid to escape from
implementing the poll promises and diluting the welfare schemes.  

“The
reported savings of Rs 1,089 cores by linking Aadhar cards with welfare
measures is only to weaken the welfare schemes and run away from its
responsibility. It was the same Chandrababu Naidu who had earlier warned the
State Government not to link welfare schemes with the Aadhar cards and has
taken a U-turn after assuming power,” party spokesperson Vasireddy Padma told
reporters here on Thursday.  

Brushing
aside the apex court’s directive to the Government to withdraw all
notifications making it mandatory by linking the Aadhar card to welfare schemes
as anomalies were reported in issuing the Unique Number cards, TDP is now
planning to route its welfare schemes the same way.  

“Our
leader has forewarned of such a situation and ripped open the designs of the
ruling party in the Assembly to dilute the welfare schemes but his voice was
gagged in between and he told the media in detail how the welfare schemes would
be distorted, diluted and done away with.  

He spoke
at length the lack of budgetary allocations to the welfare schemes and
questioned as to how the State would carry out the measures for which the
answer came with the reported proposal of Aadhar linkage,” she said.  

Two
examples of rice to white ration cards and pensions will tell the story in
detail of how the TDP government is trying to weed out the welfare schemes in a
phased manner.

It needs
Rs 1,227 crores to provide rice for 1.40 crore white ration cards but no
sufficient funds were earmarked in the budget and no explanation was given as
to how the gap would be filled. Similar is the case with pensions as Rs 1,338
cores was allotted as against the required Rs 3,050 crores, she said.

 The same
thing would happen to loan waiver and other welfare measures and will come with
a rider in the coming days, she said adding that the irony of TDP flipping
stand after assuming office on Aadhar card linkage is a glaring example of what
the State intends to do in the coming days about the welfare schemes.