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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | In Jharkhand, compulsory biometric authentication for rations sends many away empty-handed -Jean Dreze

In Jharkhand, compulsory biometric authentication for rations sends many away empty-handed -Jean Dreze

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published Published on Feb 14, 2017   modified Modified on Feb 14, 2017
-Scroll.in

Public Distribution System dealers have strict instructions not to distribute rations without Aadhaar-linked authentication.

Kairi Tidu, aged 10 years or so, was wearing her school uniform at a recent public hearing on the Public Distribution System in Khunti, Jharkhand, because she had nothing better to wear for the occasion. She explained how her family had been deprived of Public Distribution System rice during the last few months. Her parents have migrated to Hazaribagh in search of work, leaving it to Kairi Tidu to collect the monthly rations. Unfortunately, the point of sale machine does not recognise Tidu’s fingerprints, so the dealer turns her away.

This is just one of many heart-rending testimonies we heard at the public hearing, held at the headquarters of Khunti block on February 9. Like Tidu, others explained how they had been deprived of Public Distribution System rations ever since Aadhaar-based biometric authentication became compulsory in the state in September. These included Karan Mahto (Card No 202xxxxxxx22), Yashoda Kumari (No 202xxxxxxx14), Bahal Mahto (No 202xxxxxxx75), Lebda Munda (No 202xxxxxxx82), just to mention a few.

Their testimonies are corroborated by the government of Jharkhand’s very helpful Public Distribution System website. There is no trace there of any transactions for these households in the last few months. According to the website, the number of households that have purchased rice from the Public Distribution System in Khunti block last month is just 73% of the total number of cardholders.

Aadhaar fixation

The local Public Distribution System dealers were present at the hearing, but they pleaded helplessness. They have strict instructions not to distribute rations without biometric authentication.

The block supply officer, who was sympathetic, admitted that the victims had been deprived of a legal entitlement, but saw no way around it since he has similar instructions. There is no fallback facility in the event where Aadhaar-based biometric authentication fails. And it is not difficult for the system to fail – lack of connectivity, biometric failure, server problems, wrong seeding, or linking, of Aadhaar data, cryptic error messages (such as “invalid”) are some of the reasons that were reported at the public hearing.

We also heard the findings of a small survey of the Public Distribution System conducted last January by the local NREGA sahayata kendra, a help centre for workers employed under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The survey covered 225 households in four hamlets of Tirla gram panchayat: Belahathi, Simbhukel, Saridkel and Todangkel. This gram panchayat, very close to the block headquarters, is likely to have better connectivity than most other gram panchayats in Khunti. Yet, among 225 sample households, as many as 40 reported having been deprived of Public Distribution System rations for one month or more since Aadhaar-based biometric authentication was made compulsory last year.

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Scroll.in, 14 February, 2017, https://scroll.in/article/829071/in-jharkhand-compulsory-biometric-authentication-for-rations-sends-many-away-empty-handed


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