Direct Cash Transfers

Direct Cash Transfers – Aadhar based is an excellent initiative at the most premature moment. First, Aadhar has not been issued to all the 100 percent citizens even in the 51 villages in the 18 States on experimental basis where the scheme is proposed to be introduced from 1^st January 2013. In one village in Anantapur District, with the film producer Rajmouli’s photograph as well another person with wrong address was issued. In the same district another card was issued with a fake name and fake address in the name a fruit and bazaar were issued with a photograph too!! There are galore of spelling mistakes either in surname or the name itself. Corrections to these would not get initiated by the authorities concerned. A complaint to customer care of Aadhar gets a stereotyped reply that it would be attended in 48hours. After 48hours you get a reply that does not address the issue at all for the central complaints department either does not have the operating agency details or even if it has, does not care to refer the complaint for redress. When the educated themselves do not get proper response to their complaints to expect that the poor would get attention on such complaints is asking for the moon. 

Adding to this the Banks are intermediaries in the whole effort. Several banks have everyday new issues with Banking Correspondents and there are leakages that they are grappling with to resolve. Not all financial inclusion accounts even in the designated villages were opened with Aadhar ID as base of KYC. Now they will ask each account holder to give fresh KYC form with Aadhar card fascimile. Aadhar will have discrepancies with those that are already having accounts. The Banks confirmed that they have followed the KYC and the auditors/Inspectors have confirmed.Some are already receiving their MNREGA wages or pensions through this KYC. Now which would they count for accepting credits? Unless the Aadhar card ID is fully integrated with the Bank accounts and the persons holding accounts under Financial Inclusion eligible to receive the 29 categories of subsidies confirm, the whole process would be in a limbo and these cannot certainly be resolved in these inaugural villages of fifty one. God save the poor - any way he is still saving them!

Game changer:

Yes; it is a game changer for the politician eager to grab votes from the poor in some fashion or the other. The game changes but the poor would for sure remain poor for the politician will have the untainted access to the purse of the poor in a straight cash deal.