NEW DELHI: The problem of exclusion in public distribution system due to Aadhar related factors was found to be of a smaller proportion as compared to other non-UID factors even as the system is gaining acceptance, a report by an international analytics consultant has found.
A study of two states found that the overall monthly exclusion from PDS in Rajasthan is 9.9%, whereas it is much less at 1.1% in Andhra Pradesh. Of this, Aadhaar-related factors contribute 2.2% and 0.8% in respective states, said a survey conducted by by IDinsight, a global development analytics firm.
The report also found that state capacity has a significant bearing on functioning of PDS, with wide variation between Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. At the same time, a majority of food ration (PDS) recipients prefer Aadhaar-based PDS delivery in both states, as they perceive biometric authentication prevents fraud, the report said.
On exclusion due to Aadhaar, UID chief executive officer Ajay Bhushan Pandey said this is a concern which is being seriously addressed by various state ministries and departments time to time. "We have repeatedly said there should be no exclusion for
Aadhaar failure. An exclusion register should be kept and we are developing technology to reduce failure," he said.
People, especially in the unorganised sector and rural India (67%) widely and preferably use Aadhaar letter (analog version) to establish identity or open bank accounts. e-KYC (the digital version) is used by around 17%, explained UIDAI chief citing the report.
The survey shows a strong concern over privacy of data, with over 96% of respondents claiming it is important to know what the government will do with their Aadhaar logs. At the same time, 87% approve of mandatory linking of Aadhaar to programmes like PDS and 77% for private services, said the “State of Aadhaar Report 2017-18”.