States point to flaws in Aadhaar platform

The government’s plan to carry out pilot projects to transfer subsidies on the Aadhaar platform from January 1 needs to address flaws pointed out by many states in the mechanism. Even to open bank accounts, essential for subsidy transfers, the poor face hurdles. Reportedly, they were told Aadhaar cards weren’t enough; they needed more documents.

“It’s not easy for a person to open a bank account. We felt there is a little bit of harassment,” Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit said, adding most chief ministers of northern states had raised the issue at a meeting today with Finance Minister P Chidambaram and heads of some public sector banks today. While the CMs of Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand attended the meeting, the CMs of Punjab and UP sent their representatives.