Biometrics, voter IDs for beneficiary payments, not Aadhaar: Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh. (Express photo by Renuka Puri)

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lalan Singh, has said payments to beneficiaries on the basis of their Aadhaar numbers will soon be replaced by a system processing payments using their biometrics and voter ID (EPIC) numbers.

Singh, who is the Union Minister of Panchayati Raj, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, made these remarks last Friday during the National Workshop on People’s Plan Campaign 2026-27, organised by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

Addressing the workshop, Singh said, “Ek baat aur kah dena chahte hain ki ab Aadhaar labharthiyon ko bhugtan karne ka jo aadhaar hai, woh Aadhaar card nahin rahega. Aadhaar card, ab Aadhaar card banane wali jo sansthayen hain, woh har gali mein uplabdh hain. Aap jiska kahiye, abhi 5 minute mein Aadhaar card banakar taiyyar kar denge (I would like to add that the Aadhaar card will no longer serve as the basis for making payments to beneficiaries. Aadhaar-enrolment centres are now everywhere, you can find one in every street. An Aadhaar card can be issued to anyone in just five minutes).”

“Woh Aadhaar card ab aadhaar nahin rahega. Jo bhi beneficiary hain, unke bhugtan ke liye biometric aur unka jo voter ID ka EPIC number hai, woh uska aadhaar hoga, aur usi par unka bhugtan hoga (The Aadhaar card will no longer be the basis. Instead, payments to beneficiaries will be processed using their biometrics and their voter ID (EPIC) number),” he said without elaborating on the schemes for which the EPIC number will be used.

Singh also called for the participation of all stakeholders in efforts being made towards Atmanirbhar Panchayats (self-reliant panchayats) and Viksit Panchayats (developed danchayats).

He said Gram Panchayats need to enhance their own-source revenue generation to become eligible for performance grants.

While there is no scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj where money is directly transferred to an individual beneficiary’s bank account, there are a few schemes under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, also headed by Singh, where Aadhaar is mandatory for payments.

Story continues below this ad

For instance, under the National Livestock Mission Entrepreneurship Development Programme, implemented by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, every eligible beneficiary who wishes to avail the benefits under the scheme is required to “furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication”,

Besides, in several other Central schemes like the rural job guarantee programme VB-G RAM G, PM-Kisan, Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin), National Social Assistance Programme (old-age, widow and disability pensions), Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts are used for making payments.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in re... Read More