linking of the Public Distribution System with Aadhaar is a textbook example of how implementation of schemes remain riddled with issues. The Government must pay heed
By now, the heartbreaking death of Santoshi Kumari, an 11-year old resident of Karimati village in Jharkhand, has been well reported in the news across Jharkhand and the country. It has been widely reported that the death of this poor girl was due to starvation after her family’s ration card was cancelled since it was not linked to their Aadhaar number. Governmental authorities in the State of Jharkhand, however, seem to be of the view that her death was due to ‘malaria’ and not starvation. There, however, is no denying the fact that Santoshi’s family was unable to access food grains through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
To focus on what ultimately cost Santoshi her life and to ignore the structural issues that threaten to cripple families across the country is to miss the forest for the trees and reeks of the callousness that is now synonymous with the approach of the Centre.
How Aadhaar and PDS work together: Currently, for a person to access food through PDS, it is mandatory to follow Aadhaar-based biometric authentication (ABBA) system that is the practice of using an electric Point of Sale (PoS) machine for each transaction. As part of implementing the ABBA system, it is imperative that Aadhaar seeding, which is the practice of getting an Aadhaar number linked to the ration card, is completed. This process is riddled with issues that have been well documented. One such issue is that there is a possibility that for the Aadhaar seeding to be effective, there can be no discrepancy in details between the ration cards and the Aadhaar database. Therefore, any sort of discrepancy creates a situation wherein a person is denied access food. Additionally, since this seeding is compulsory and the Government is carelessly pushing this process, there are more and more cases that are coming out wherein individuals are just not aware of this requirement of seeding. This is not only the case with respect to PDS but has been found in other areas as well, such as availing benefits under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and pensions.
Another step that needs to be completed in order to avail benefits under PDS is the actual biometric authorisation that is required to be completed at the time of each purchase. This authorisation requires each individual to cross multiple hurdles, including power supply, a functioning PoS machine, ensuring that the State and Central identities data repository servers, which stores relevant information, is up and running and ensuring that there is adequate mobile and Internet connectivity. Therefore, every time a person has to get food that she is entitled to, she has to pray that all of these variables that are not in her control work in her favour.
Have the objectives been met and what about the costsIJ The apparent benefits that has been touted by the Government is that linking of Aadhaar with PDS will help ensure that fake ration cards, which are in use, will automatically be removed from the system and, therefore, help reduce corruption that ails the PDS system. What is obviously overlooked, however, is the fact that in their enthusiasm to ensure 100 per cent seeding, the Government found it acceptable to affect the lives of thousands of people. When the Government in Jharkhand ordered that those ration cards, which had not been linked to Aadhaar, be canceled and then went on to state with remarkable confidence that the cancelled ration cards were fake, individuals like Santoshi (possible ‘malaria’ infection notwithstanding) were the unnecessary victims of this enthusiasm.
Another benefit that has been touted is that this move will help remove corruption that otherwise ails the PDS. This argument too has been found lacking. This is because as per reports, corruption in the PDS is primarily in the form of ‘cuts’, which is the practice of giving an individual lesser food than what the person is entitled too. Surveys indicate that there is little or no difference between the amount of corruption in the form of these cuts before and after ABBA was implemented. Therefore, the benefits of ABBA do not seem worth the costs that are numerous and have been discussed below.
Access to ration: The obvious cost is access to ration. That is, however, only a problem if the Government is willing to acknowledge that people have been excluded in its enthusiasm to show ‘100 per cent seeding’. The Government in Jharkhand announced on September 7 that it had achieved 100 per cent seeding. In truth, however, of the 2.3 crore people in Jharkhand, who are covered under the PDS, only 1.7 crore have linked their Aadhaar numbers. And these are not just statistics, each of those individuals, who have wrongly been excluded from the PDS, are going to potentially go hungry because of the Governments callousness. Additionally, since the person needs to be present in person to avail the benefit of PDS under ABBA, often if a person is unwell or too old to make the trip to the shop to get food grains, he/she will automatically be excluded from the PDS.
Increase in transaction costs: As discussed before, the implementation of ABBA requires a number of variables to work in favour of a person. Since all factors, such as Internet connectivity and a working PoS system need to be in place at the time of obtaining food grains, people have to make multiple trips to get food.
General callousness of the Government: The implementation of ABBA with the PDS has been riddled with numerous issues and experts on the ground, such as Jean Dreze, have often commented on the ails of the current system. However, what is not surprising is the callousness of the Government when it comes to issues that have been raised. It is apparent that the Government has in been in a hurry to implement ‘reforms’ and ignored the high cost of human life. This is not only the case with PDS but is also apparent from the other ‘reforms’ that it has instituted. In the case of demonetisation, there were numerous deaths that were a result of the Government’s ill-informed and poorly implemented scheme. The Government had stated that demonetisation will help it achieve its objectives of removing black money from the economy and prevent counterfeiting. Similar to PDS, in the case of demonetisation the Government failed to achieve its objectives and when the shortfalls were highlighted, it reacted the only way it knows how by deflecting blame.
Demonetisation had caused many individuals both in cities in towns tremendous problems. Try to remember the time when you were unable to withdraw cash and were, therefore, essentially paralysed by the lack of funds where you had to borrow and beg for money. Now try and imagine the difficulties that an individual who has to access food grains through the PDS has to go through.
This person cannot ask someone else to get the food, he has to get his Aadhaar card seeded and has to be lucky enough to have all Government infrastructure working in his favour. Imagine for a moment how severely affected this man’s family has been by this entire process if he cannot ensure that he will be able to get the food grains. If you have managed to imagine the trials and tribulations of this family, pat yourself on the back. Because it is clear that this Government is unable to.
(The writer, Jharkhand PCC president, is a former MP and IPS officer. Views expressed are personal)
