-The Hindu Aadhaar linkage needed for it to work; States given one more year to use point of sale machines in ration shops, says Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan New Delhi: ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ scheme, which will allow portability of food security benefits, will be available across the country from July 1, 2020. This means poor migrant workers will be able to buy subsidised rice and wheat from any ration...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Technical glitches add to NREGA workers' despair -P Sujatha Varma
-The Hindu Wages to the tune of Rs.53.8 crore are yet to be paid in State Vijayawada; Frequent changes in wage disbursal methods and technical glitches, coupled with government apathy, have deprived 8.6 lakh porters of their hard-earned wages worth Rs.53.8 crore in the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). “Factors that stand between the workers and their wages range from failure of the...
More »CPI(M) promises unemployment dole -Sobhana K Nair
-The Hindu Manifesto includes repealing AFSPA. Targeting the Narendra Modi government for a 45-year high in unemployment figures, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) in its manifesto, released on Thursday in Delhi, said the “right to work” should be enshrined in the Constitution and there should be a provision of allowance for those without jobs. The party’s campaign song too captures the party’s accusation with lyrics that say “Aab ki baar, Modi...
More »Why linking MGNREGA payments to Aadhaar is a mistake -Debmalya Nandy
-Down to Earth How did the government apply Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act to the payments of MGNREGA remuneration, which in no way seem to be in accordance with the guidelines of the Act The payments of wages in MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) are done through the Aadhaar Payments Bridge (APB) using the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) systems. Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act has been applied to...
More »A bridge to nowhere -Sakina Dhorajiwala & Jean Dreze
-The Hindu Poor people are running from pillar to post as the Aadhaar payment bridge routinely obstructs their welfare benefits Perhaps you will remember “l’affaire Airtel” — the mass diversion of LPG subsidies to Airtel wallets that came to light in 2017. Many of the wallets were unwanted, or even unknown to the recipients. Those affected, fortunately, included millions of middle-class Airtel customers who protested when the goof-up emerged. The subsidy money...
More »