Aadhaar for Social Welfare

Aadhaar is being used as an identifier in respect of following school education related schemes:
(i) Centrally Sponsored Scheme for providing quality education in Madrasa (SPQEM)
(ii) Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS)
(iii) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
(iv) Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA)
(v) Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS)
(vi) National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education (NSIGSE)
(vii) National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship Scheme (NMMSS)

Mid-day-meal scheme is covered under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016. A notification has been published in the Gazette of India (Extraordinary) dated 28th February, 2017 which came into effect in all States and Union Territories except in the States of Assam, Meghalaya and the State of Jammu & Kashmir. As per the notification, the beneficiaries are required to furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication and if not enrolled for Aadhaar, shall have to apply for Aadhaar enrolment by 30th June, 2017 (the time limit has later been extended upto 31st August, 2017 and further extended upto 30th September 2017), provided that till the time Aadhaar is assigned to the individual, he/she shall be entitled for benefit subject to the production of the following identification documents, namely:

(i) If he or she has enrolled, his or her Aadhaar Enrolment Id slip; or
(ii) A copy of his or her application made for Aadhaar Enrolment and an undertaking by the parent or legal guardian that the child is not availing benefit from any other school and any one of the documents mentioned in the notification.

The use of Aadhaar as identity document for delivery of services or benefits or subsidies, simplifies the Government delivery processes, brings in transparency and efficiency, and enables beneficiaries to get their entitlements directly to them in a convenient and seamless manner and Aadhaar obviates the need for producing multiple documents to prove one’s identity.

The “consent” under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (Aadhaar Act) is in the form of Informed Consent/Disclosure. Section 3 (2) of the Aadhaar Act provides that the enrolling agency shall, at the time of enrolment, inform the individual undergoing enrolment the manner in which the information collected shall be used, the nature of recipients with whom the information is intended to be shared during authentication and the existence of right to access information.

This information was given by the Minister of State (HRD), Shri Upendra Kushwaha today in a written reply to a Lok Sabha question.