Linking Aadhar cards to welfare schemes legally incorrect: CPI

NEW DELHI: The CPI today sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention in asking all government departments not to insist on Aadhar cards, saying this was legally incorrect.

The decision of some government departments to link Aadhar cards to welfare activities "is neither legally correct, nor feasible in the present circumstances," party General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy said in a letter to Singh.

He urged the prime minister "to intervene and instruct" all departments of the government not to insist for Aadhar Card but to accept other identity cards like voter identity cards, fair price shop cards or Kisan pass books for identification for welfare schemes and other programmes.

Observing that the subsidy on gas cylinders has been linked with Aadhar card, he said it has not been legally sanctioned by Parliament "as the only identify card of citizens of the country. The government has announced more than once that is only voluntary and not compulsory".

Maintaining that less than 20 per cent of the people have taken Aadhar Cards so far, Reddy said there were also proposals in the labour department that Aadhar card would be necessary for employees' state insurance and provident fund schemes.