The Central authorities will not extend the deadline for implementing Aadhaar-based payment system as the one mode of payment to staff below the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). past August 31, authorities sources stated. The authorities in January 2023 made the use of Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS) mandatory for paying wages to these enrolled below the MGNREGS.
The authentic deadline for the mandatory adoption of the Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS) was February 1. This deadline was subsequently prolonged to March 31, then additional to June 30, and eventually to August 31. However, officers from the Ministry of Rural Development have stated that the deadline will not be prolonged any additional. They talked about that greater than 90 per cent of the energetic staff’ accounts have already been linked with Aadhaar, implying that the implementation is progressing nicely.
Aadhaar linked with 13.75 crore beneficiaries
According to a press release issued by the ministry in June, out of a complete of 14.28 crore energetic beneficiaries, Aadhaar have been linked with 13.75 crore beneficiaries. A complete of 12.17 crore Aadhaar numbers have been authenticated and 77.81 per cent have been discovered eligible for ABPS at the moment, as per the ministry. In May 2023, about 88 per cent of the wage funds have been made by way of ABPS.
The ministry had additionally stated that the info of job playing cards issued to beneficiaries of MGNREGS can’t be deleted on the premise of the rationale that the employee is not eligible for ABPS.
1.13 crore MGNREGS staff energeticÂ
According to a written reply by Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh in Parliament in the course of the recently-concluded monsoon session, financial institution accounts of round 1.13 crore MGNREGS staff, or round eight per cent of the whole energetic staff below the scheme, are but to be seeded with Aadhaar.
North-eastern states are lagging behind within the course of, with accounts of greater than 42 per cent staff in Assam, round 23 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh, over 70 per cent in Meghalaya, and 37 per cent in Nagaland not being seeded with Aadhaar numbers.
ABPS as a substitute payment mode together with the direct account switch mode has been in use below MNREGS since 2017. Ministry officers stated that states have been requested to organise camps and observe up with beneficiaries to obtain 100 per cent ABPS adoption.
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(With PTI inputs)
