Bengal assembly resolution against linking Aadhaar to subsidies

The West Bengal assembly Monday passed a unanimous resolution asking the central government to roll back its decision immediately on linking the Aadhaar cards with subsidy to the people.

The central government has announced that Aadhaar card would be compulsory for availing of facilities, like cooking gas cylinders at subsidised rates.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee moved the resolution which pointed out that barely 15 percent of the population in the state now possess Aadhar cards.

The central government's stand would create serious problems for the 85 percent of the population, who would have to do without the nine subsidised cylinders that they would get from the government which has decided to transfer the subsidy in the form of cash to the consumers' bank accounts, he said.

Opposition Left Front members backed the resolution, while the government side accepted an amendment moved by the Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra.

Mishra said the unresolved contentious issues on the Aadhar scheme included making biometric profiling mandatory.

He claimed there was a great margin for error, as the entire process was unscientific.

The Congress members, who are boycotting the assembly in protest against the speaker not allowing them to air their views on Chief Minister Mamata's Banerjee's sharp criticism of the central government, continued to stay away from the house.