Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Faulty compulsion: On the issue of MGNREGS and Aadhaar seeding

Faulty compulsion: On the issue of MGNREGS and Aadhaar seeding

Issues with Aadhaar-seeding are a headache for MGNREGS beneficiaries

With the government refusing to extend the deadline for Aadhaar details of workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to be seeded to their job cards beyond December 31, 2023, to enable payments through an Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS), the system has now become mandatory (अनिवार्य). Alarmingly (भयानक, ख़ौफ़नाक), the decision would now affect nearly 35% of job card holders for this mode of payment and 12.7% of “active” workers (those who have worked at least one day in the last three financial years), thereby putting a dampener (निरुत्साहक) on the demand-driven scheme for many. ABPS implementation, the Union government claims, will ensure that payments are quick, reduce rejection and plug all leaks. The government also contends that as the ABPS has been in place for MGNREGS from 2017, and because Aadhaar number availability is near universal in India, the ABPS is a robust (मज़बूत) and a safer way to transfer wages. However, the over-reliance on technical tools has resulted in problematic implementation, with beneficiaries devoid of a proper recourse for corrections in the system. Data analysed by LibTech India suggest that the names of 7.6 crore workers have been deleted over the past 21 months due to discrepancies between the Aadhaar and the job card, among other reasons, with many of these done erroneously (गलती से).

There are other issues with the use of the Aadhaar-based payments — where errors in any step of the process result in payment failures. Apart from the spelling discrepancy (विसंगति, असंगति) issue between the Aadhaar and the job card of the worker, there is also the problem of mapping the Aadhaar to the wrong bank account for many. In a number of cases, payments can be diverted (To turn aside or redirect; to distract or entertain; to change the direction or purpose of something) to some other account than the one beneficiaries prefer, and also without their consent. Claims by the government that Aadhaar use has reduced delays in wage payments have also not been borne out, according to LibTech India, with wage delays largely due to insufficient funds in the first place. Without cleaning up Aadhaar seeding and mapping with bank accounts, making the ABPS mandatory will only create further issues. The Union government must revisit this decision, and work out a way to correct the faulty (दोषपूर्ण, खराब) seeding and mapping problems before imposing (थोपना, लागू करना) ABPS. The Ministry of Rural Development has said that it may consider an exemption (छूट, मुक्ति) from ABPS on a case-to-case basis for gram panchayats if there are technical issues, but it would be better if the Ministry conducts social audits to ascertain (पता लगाना) the extent of the problem before insisting on ABPS. MGNREGS remains a vital demand-driven welfare scheme that helps the rural poor and its implementation must not be dependent upon a faulty technological system.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Compulsion (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - बाध्यता
English Meaning - The action or state of being forced or coerced; a strong, irresistible urge to do something.

2.Mandatory (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अनिवार्य
English Meaning - Required or commanded by authority; obligatory; compulsory.

3.Alarming (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - भयानक, ख़ौफ़नाक
English Meaning - Causing fear or distress; frightening; indicating a need for immediate attention.

4.Dampener (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - निरुत्साहक
English Meaning - Something that has a depressing or restraining effect; a discouragement.

5.Robust (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - मज़बूत
English Meaning - Strong, healthy, and vigorous; full of strength and vitality.

6.Discrepancy (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - विसंगति, असंगति
English Meaning - A lack of compatibility or similarity between two or more facts; inconsistency.

7.Erroneously (Adverb)

Hindi Meaning - गलती से
English Meaning - In a mistaken or incorrect manner; inaccurately.

8.Impose (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - थोपना, लागू करना
English Meaning - To establish or apply by authority; to force upon others; to place a burden or obligation.

9.Exemption (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - छूट, मुक्ति
English Meaning - The action of freeing someone from a duty or obligation; being excluded from a rule or requirement.

10.Ascertain (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - पता लगाना
English Meaning - To find out for certain; to make sure of; to verify or confirm.

11.Faulty (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - दोषपूर्ण, खराब
English Meaning - Containing a fault or defect; not functioning properly; flawed or imperfect.

12.Divert (Verb)

English Meaning - To turn aside or redirect; to distract or entertain; to change the direction or purpose of something.