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Three UPA-era initiatives prove crucial in Modi govt's war on Covid

While they provide a social security for India's poor and destitute, all three have undergone significant changes for better or worse, under the NDA regime

In fairness, the disagreements over Aadhaar could have been softer had it been deliberated fairly and in the right forums
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Interestingly, when UPA was in power, the opposition BJP had strongly objected to Aadhaar and had even called it a fraud scheme

Sanjeeb Mukherjee New Delhi
As the Central government grapples with various possibilities to reduce the impact on Covid-19 lockdown on the lives of poor and destitute, three UPA-era schemes have come to its rescue.

The National Food Security Act (NFSA), the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and Aadhaar were introduced under the previous UPA regime. However, they were carried forward and expanded under the current regime since 2014 and have proved to be critical for it, as they provide a much-needed social security net to vast segments of the population.

And, as the Covid-19 crisis spills over, all three will continue to