Bengaluru: Many experts and activists may be opposing the Aadhaar for the distribution of food grains under the Public Distribution System (PDS), but if one goes by the data, it is saving a huge amount for the state government. In a disclosure, which is expected to strengthen the argument supporting the Aadhaar, the unique identification system has saved whooping Rs.580 crores for the state government in the Public Distribution System.
According to B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, state government’s decision to make biometric compulsory for the beneficiaries using Aadhaar resulted in the elimination of 4.5 lakh bogus Aadhaar cards. “It resulted in the savings of Rs.580 crores,” he said.
“At least 99% of PDS cards are linked to the Aadhar and 30,000 cards are pending,” he said.
“Every day we are receiving 400 to 500 applications seeking BPL cards. All the applications are processed on a priority basis,” he said.