May Consider Exemption From ABPS On A Case-To-Case Basis: Centre On MGNREGA Payments (image: pixabay)
As the Congress severely criticised the government over its “weaponising technology” in deploying Aadhar-based system compulsory for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) payments, Centre on Monday said they would consider giving specific exemptions, if certain gram panchayats have “technical issues”.
“The Government of India has decided to make the wage payment of unskilled workers through ABPS to ensure the payment of beneficiaries into their bank accounts, even in case of frequent change of bank account by the beneficiary. In case, if any Gram Panchayat is having either technical problem or Aadhaar- problem, the government may consider exemption from ABPS on a case-to-case basis till the resolution of the issue,” the Rural Development Ministry said in a statement.
This new change came when Congress leader Jairam Ramesh slammed Modi Government that deploying Aadhaar was meant to deny the most vulnerable Indians their social welfare benefits. Though workers, practitioners and researchers stressed the difficulties in using ABPS for MGNREGA wage payments, the Central government still continued with its destructive ‘experiments with technology’, he said. “This is Prime Minister’s cruel new year gift to exclude crores of the poorest and marginalised Indians from earning a basic income,” Jairam Ramesh added.
The MGNREGA payments will currently undertake only through the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) and the final extension of the deadline to state governments to initiate the payments compulsory through the system ended on December 31. ABPS demands linking of worker”s bank account and job car with Aadhaar.
When the reports argued that lots of eligible workers would fall out of the MGNREGA grouping, an official explanation claimed that Aadhaar linking was made to avoid duplication, genuine beneficiaries to be identified, and ensure that social welfare schemes available to them.
