Oppn slams Centre for making Aadhaar mandatory

No poor will be denied their rights for lack of Aadhaar, says IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

The Opposition on Monday criticised the Centre for making Aadhaar mandatory for various schemes, even as the government insisted no poor would be deprived of subsidies for lack of the unique identification number.

During a discussion on the issue in the Rajya Sabha, Congress member Jairam Ramesh said Aadhaar had increasingly become “an instrument of exclusion”, with up to 25 per cent intended beneficiaries of government schemes not receiving benefits. “What sterilisation was to the Emergency, Aadhaar seeding is becoming to your government,” Ramesh said.

Several other opposition members, particularly Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien, highlighted the dangers of Aadhaar data being compromised