FP shops insist on Aadhaar

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Anantapur: Dealers of LPG agencies and FP shops are reportedly creating confusion among the consumers and forcing them to produce Aadhaar cards for supplying subsidised gas cylinders and ration from fair price shops in the district.
As Anantapur district has been selected for implementation of cash transfer scheme in its first phase across the country, initial stage of difficulties are being faced as no one has clear understanding on the scheme and benefits.
In fact, the cash transfer scheme was formally launched under phase-1, the state government had directed officials to start it with cash transfer only for students and a few women under the Janani Suraksha scheme.
As thousands of students did not enrol their names for Aadhaar cards last year, they were thronging the newly set up Aadhaar centres in the district.
Official sources say, nearly 38.5 lakh people have been enroled for Aadhaar cards last year against 43 lakh people in the district. Meanwhile, one-third of people, those enroled in last year, have not received their Aadhaar cards as thousands of cards were with the sub-post offices at rural areas.
While taking the advantage of delay in enrolment of Aadhaar cards, several LPG dealers were mounting pressure on the customers to produce the cards along with bank account details even before launching of cash transfer scheme in the district.
LPG dealers put a deadline of last years’ December 31 to submit their records and created anxiety among the consumers, who had not received Aadhaar cards.
Long queues were witnessed at most of the agencies in the district since last two months. “Presently, they gave an advertisement and press release to submit details by January 25,” a consumer said and added she was yet to enrol her name for Aadhaar because of serpentine queues at the centres.
When contacted, Anantapur joint collector S. Satyanarayana told this correspondent that no deadline was announced and the people can submit details by March-end.
He asked the people to enrol their names for Aadhaar cards immediately after the completion of enrolment for the students, who were scheduled to get their scholarships through online from March this year. He said Aadhaar cards are must to get government benefits. The joint collector also directed the DSO to look into the teething troubles being created by the dealers.