Shillong, Jul 24: Social activist Greneth M Sangma has said the government must respect citizen rights and choices with regards to Aadhaar.
Reacting to a statement of Community and Rural Development Minister Abu Taher Mondal who said that almost all central schemes now require Aadhaar linkage, Sangma said the minister is disregarding the real sense of the Aadhaar Act of 2016.
“Aadhaar cannot be made mandatory for availing government benefits. Section 7 of the Act specifically states that individuals without an Aadhaar number cannot be denied essential services like pension or ration, and alternative means of identification should be accepted,” he said.
Commending the Meghalaya government’s stance on Aadhaar enrolment being voluntary the social activist, who had also filed a petition before the Meghalaya High Court on the subject, said it is essential to ensure that citizens are not denied benefits due to lack of Aadhaar. “The government should respect citizens’ choices and provide benefits without discrimination,” he added.
He also stated that even if the Centre attempts to compel beneficiaries to link Aadhaar to their respective bank accounts, they cannot legally do so by over-defining Section 7 of the Act, unless it is amended.
