Aadhaar Now Mandatory For Kerosene Subsidy and Atal Pension Yojana

The central government invoked Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, to notify these changes.

The Aadhaar card has been made mandatory for government subsidy on purchase of kerosene and benefits under the Atal Pension Yojana.

Those availing kerosene subsidy or contributing for the pension scheme will now be required to furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar number or undergo the enrolment process to get the benefits, officials said today.

The last date to get the Aadhaar or enrolment for getting it will be 30 September, in case of Kerosene subsidy. For the Atal Pension Yojana, the deadline for getting the Aadhaar is 15 June, they said, quoting an official order.

However, till an Aadhaar card is obtained, ration card, driving licence, voter identity card, Kisan passbook with photo, job card issued under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, and a certificate issued by a gazetted officer or a tehsildar can be submitted as proof of identity for the benefits.

It has also been decided to link Aadhaar numbers with the holders’ ration card or with the bank account for cash transfer benefit.

The Ministry of Oil and Natural Gas has introduced Direct Benefit Transfer through which subsidy is transferred directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries, who purchase the PDS kerosene at non-subsidised rate.

To implement this order, the central government invoked Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, which mandates that when the government gives subsidy, benefit or service from the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI), an individual can be asked to undergo authentication or furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar.

The Centre allocates subsidised kerosene to the states and Union Territories as affordable cooking fuel for domestic use, mainly to those living below the poverty line.

Under the Atal Pension Yojana, which is available to all the citizens in the age group of 18-40 years, a subscriber, after 60 years of age, can receive a minimum guaranteed pension of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per month, depending upon his contribution.

The pension can be paid to the spouse of the subscriber and on the demise of both the subscriber and the spouse, the accumulated pension wealth is returned to the nominee.

(This story has been edited for length)