Aadhaar is Not Mandatory for Government Benefits Reiterates Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

New Delhi, February 13: Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today asked state governments to ensure that no one is denied any benefit he or she is entitled to for want of Aadhaar. "Aadhaar is a big platform which leads to good governance and savings but I would like to say there is the law of Aadhaar. This law says that you cannot deny a benefit to anyone for want of Aadhaar. If the person is not having Aadhaar ask him to get Aadhaar but you should give him benefit using alternative mode," Prasad told state IT ministers and secretaries today.

He was speaking at state IT ministers conclave here. "Many times ration is not given at ration shop. It should not happen. You should think about it. No one should deny ration to the poor," Prasad said.

The statement from Prasad comes within a week of a report that a civil hospital in Gurgaon denied admission to a pregnant woman as she was not carrying her Aadhaar card and she had to deliver a baby outside the hospital.

Prasad said that many times fingerprint of elderlies do not match and he has directed the department to note their Aadhaar number in a register but they should not be denied benefits they are entitled to. The minister said the government is working to link Aadhaar with motor driving licence and cited an example to explain that the move will help in identifying offenders.

He said that state governments should start using digital technologies in delivering services to people and outsource some of their work to BPOs being opened under India BPO Promotion Scheme. "We are trying to create USD 1 trillion digital economies in the country in next five years. This will generate jobs for 50-75 lakh people," Prasad said. The minister asked the states to focus on cybersecurity and train their personnel as the growth in the use of technology will enhance risk in the cyberspace as well.