Politics
Voter ID and Biometrics Proposed to Replace Aadhaar for Welfare Payments, Critics Warn of Exclusion
Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh said that Aadhaar will no longer be used as the basis for payments to government scheme beneficiaries. Instead, biometric authentication and voter ID numbers, or Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers, will identify beneficiaries and process payments. Singh made the remarks at a National Workshop on People’s Plan Campaign 2026-27, noting that Aadhaar enrolment centres are now ubiquitous and an Aadhaar card can be issued in five minutes.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera criticized the move, saying that the plan had been in place all along. He pointed out that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) carried out by the Election Commission of India has already removed at least 13.3 crore Indians from the electoral rolls. Khera warned that the absence of a voter ID could be used to deny ration, housing, health insurance and guaranteed employment, arguing that the design is to first strip people of their political voice and then of their welfare entitlements.
The CPI(M) condemned the Centre’s proposal on Wednesday, saying it would further exclude the rural poor and compound the impact of deletions from electoral rolls during the ongoing SIR. The party’s politburo said the announcement would create fresh hurdles for people seeking access to government welfare schemes. It cited cases of elderly women agricultural workers being denied benefits because biometric machines failed to capture their iris scans, and manual labourers facing authentication failures due to worn‑out fingerprints. The party also noted that electronic KYC requirements involving smartphones pose difficulties for rural households that do not own such devices.
The CPI(M) described the SIR exercise as an act of mass disenfranchisement and alleged that some state governments were denying ration and other benefits to people whose names had been deleted during the SIR. It said electoral roll exclusion could not be used to deny social welfare entitlements and questioned the Centre’s earlier position on Aadhaar, claiming that the government had assured the Supreme Court that the document would not be compulsory but had subsequently extended its use across welfare schemes. The party demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposed change.
Frequently asked questions
What change is being proposed for welfare payments?
Aadhaar will no longer be used; biometric authentication and voter ID or EPIC numbers will identify beneficiaries.
What concerns did CPI(M) raise about the proposal?
It could exclude rural poor due to biometric failures, lack of smartphones, and authentication issues for elderly and manual laborers.
What did Congress MP Pawan Khera say about the SIR?
He noted that the SIR removed at least 13.3 crore Indians from electoral rolls and warned that absence of voter ID could deny ration, housing, health insurance, and employment.