Dikshit still bats for Aadhaar, urges SC rethink on it

CM says it provides easy access to benefits under govt schemes

Three days after an interim ruling by the Supreme Court that an Aadhaar number is not mandatory for getting benefits under government schemes, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Thursday reiterated that the card helps in directly reaching the benefits to genuine persons.

Reiterating that the city government in the last few years has established an elaborate mechanism and put in considerable efforts to enable its citizens to get enrolled under Aadhaar, she expressed hope that the Centre would take up the matter with the SC keeping in view the inherent benefits that the Aadhaar platform can offer in availing government welfare and other services.

“Delhi is one of the first states in the country to adopt Aadhaar platform for direct cash transfer of benefits. In respect of the nine Centrally sponsored schemes also, direct cash transfer was started with effect from January 1, 2013. Availing benefit of the government welfare schemes through Aadhaar has been ensuring accuracy, transparency apart from minimising corruption, fraud, role of middlemen and duplication,” said Dikshit.

“Aadhaar helps in directly reaching the benefits to genuine persons. It is an innovative governance-reform tool with the potential of ensuring radical change in public service delivery,” she added.

Dikshit also highlighted that Delhi has achieved almost 100 per cent target of enrolment of its citizens under Aadhaar. As against the population of 1.67 crore as per 2011 census, the total enrolment in Delhi has now crossed 1.71 crore.

The SC has not refrained any government agency from enrolling citizens under Aadhaar but has only ordered that Aadhar could not be made a mandatory condition to access government services or subsidies, she added.