Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, has said Aadhaar will no longer be the basis for payments to government scheme beneficiaries. Instead, biometric authentication and voter ID numbers, or Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers, will be used to identify beneficiaries and process payments.
Singh made the remarks on October 30 at the National Workshop on People’s Plan Campaign 2026-27, organised by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, according to The Indian Express.
He said Aadhaar enrolment centres were widely available and that an Aadhaar card could be obtained within minutes.
The minister did not specify which schemes would be covered or provide a timeline for implementing the proposed arrangement. He subsequently reiterated the proposal during a media interaction in Gangtok on November 3, Scroll reported.
No broader notification on proposed change
The minister’s remarks have not been followed by a broader government notification announcing the replacement of Aadhaar with EPIC numbers for welfare payments.
Existing scheme-specific rules, therefore, continue to apply.
The distinction is important because the Ministry of Panchayati Raj does not operate schemes involving direct payments to individual beneficiaries.
However, Aadhaar is used for beneficiary identification and payments under several Central government programmes, including PM-KISAN, Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin and the National Social Assistance Programme, which covers old-age, widow and disability pensions, The Indian Express reported.
Under the National Livestock Mission Entrepreneurship Development Programme, administered by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, eligible beneficiaries are required to furnish proof of possession of an Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication.
What documents are required under existing rules?
Requirements differ across schemes and their respective guidelines. Under the National Livestock Mission’s September 2023 notification, beneficiaries who do not have Aadhaar are required to apply for enrolment.
Until an Aadhaar number is assigned, they can access benefits by submitting an Aadhaar enrolment slip, if enrolled, along with an accepted identity document.
The list of accepted documents includes voter ID, PAN card, passport, driving licence, ration card, job card and a bank or post office passbook with a photograph.
The same notification also provides for alternative authentication methods if Aadhaar-based biometric verification fails. These include iris or face authentication, OTP-based verification and, where other methods are unsuccessful, verification through the physical Aadhaar letter’s QR code.
These provisions apply to the National Livestock Mission and should not be interpreted as a general change in identification requirements across welfare schemes.
Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, also provides for alternate and viable means of identification where an individual has not been assigned an Aadhaar number. Section 8 requires alternative identification arrangements in cases where authentication fails for reasons including illness, age-related infirmity or technical issues.
Beneficiaries should continue to follow the documentation and verification requirements prescribed by the department administering their respective schemes until any revised rules are formally notified.
CPI(M) raises concerns over proposed change
The CPI(M) has criticised the proposed move, warning that making voter ID and biometric authentication compulsory for welfare payments could create difficulties for vulnerable beneficiaries.
In a statement issued on November 4, the party’s politburo cited the risk of biometric authentication failures, including difficulties faced by elderly workers whose iris scans cannot be captured and manual labourers whose fingerprints may not be recognised.
It also raised concerns about linking welfare access to voter ID amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, arguing that people whose names are deleted from electoral rolls could face difficulties accessing government benefits.
The party has demanded that welfare entitlements should not be made conditional on particular identity documents or technology.