Thousands yet to link Aadhaar to avail welfare schemes' aid

PANAJI

With the April 30 deadline fast approaching, a considerable number of beneficiaries under various welfare schemes are yet to complete the Aadhaar-bank account linking and e-KYC process.

Sources in the Women and Child Welfare Department confirmed that around 20 percent of Griha Aadhaar beneficiaries have still not linked their Aadhaar cards with their bank accounts. Similarly, officials from the Social Welfare Department said that many beneficiaries under their schemes have also not completed the process.

“There is a noticeable lack of urgency. Some beneficiaries haven’t responded at all, and in several cases, banks too have been slow in facilitating the Aadhaar seeding,” Social Welfare Director Ajit Panchwadkar said, speaking to The Goan.

As per directives from the Central government, any beneficiary who fails to complete the e-KYC process by April 30 will stop receiving financial benefits. Among various schemes, a large share of monthly doles is disbursed under Griha Aadhaar and the Dayanand Social Security Scheme with the total number of beneficiaries at 1.40 lakh each for the two schemes.

Officials have also clarified that the financial assistance under the DSSS will not be credited to the account of the beneficiary unless the bank account is seeded with Aadhaar Card. “If the Aadhaar number is wrongly submitted, or if someone else’s Aadhaar is given, the money will be transferred to the account linked with that number. The beneficiary has to take note of this else they would unfortunately lose their doles,” Panchwadkar explained.

In some older cases where Aadhaar was not initially mandatory such as when DSSS was first introduced, the beneficiaries later submitted Aadhaar details. However, mismatches in records have been noticed to which the department has sought rectification from the beneficiaries. “Else, it would lead to benefits being sent to unintended recipients,” he added.

The government has asked beneficiaries to link their Aadhaar cards with their bank accounts, complete the e-KYC process through the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) system. The submission of required documents at their respective taluka-level group offices is open for Griha Aadhaar.

Officials reiterated that the deadline will not be extended by either the Central or the State government this time.