K’taka to link social security schemes with Aadhaar: R Ashoka

Team Udayavani, Sep 28, 2019, 11:00 AM IST

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has decided to link all social security schemes with Aadhaar with the aim of getting rid of bogus beneficiaries, state Revenue minister R Ashoka said on Friday.

“Under various pension schemes like old age pension and among others, 65 lakh people are paid every year and total grant for this purpose from the government is about Rs 7,200 crore. I feel that there are many duplicates and bogus cases are getting benefit,” Ashoka told reporters here.

The minister said he has already received several complaints.

“.. so all these beneficiaries should be linked to Aadhaar.On doing that we will get to know who are bogus and original. We may save Rs 600-700 crore from going into the hands of bogus beneficiaries,” he said.

Plans are also on to make the payment through RTGS to the bank accounts of beneficiaries.

The minister said, saving of crores of rupees by weeding out bogus beneficiaries will help in effective implementation of schemes like ‘Anthya Samskara.’

Pointing out that during the previous governments Anthya Samskara Yojane was launched to give Rs 5,000 for the members of BPL families to conduct last rites, Ashoka said, the money that had to be paid within hours after death of a person, was not getting paid even after three years.

He said “84,394 cases and a total of Rs 72.74 crore amount payment under this scheme was still pending. I was shocked hearing about it, I held discussion with Chief Minister and Rs 18 crore was released … and another Rs 18 crore is being released now to make the payments.

Action will be taken so that such things dont happen in the future,” he added.

The Revenue minister also said the government has released Rs 500 crore for repair and reconstruction of infrastructure in flood-hit districts of the state.

Responding to a question about delay in central relief fund, he said “funds may come in a week, we have spoken to central government officers, also union Home Minister..there are no issues.

Karnataka has sent a flood damage estimate of Rs 35,160.81 crore to the centre and is awaiting the relief.

As many as 103 taluks in 22 districts were affected due to floods last month, in which over 80 people were killed.

Around seven lakh people were shifted to safe areas and thousands of houses were damaged.