By Dr. Gyan Pathak
Millions of Indians will soon be deprived of government assistance across the country, if the proposed national policy shift from Aadhaar based transactions of goods and cash to Voter ID (EPIC) is implemented. It will be inhuman on the part of the PM Narendra Modi led BJP government to first getting crores of names deleted from the voter list through Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll and then demanding Voter ID cards for giving government assistance through various schemes.
We can already see the inhuman policy in action in the states where Voter ID is already linked to several schemes. These states are West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab. With deletion as a voter from the electoral roll, thousands of poor people are already pushed to a perilous life in these states, the number of which may go to millions. SIR has deleted over 13.3 crore citizens as voter. The proposed new policy shift is therefore likely to cause further intensification of the anti-SIR protests in the country.
Union Minister of Panchayati Raj, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, has recently announced during the National Workshop on People’s Plan Campaign 2026-27 organised by his ministry that Aadhaar will no longer serve as the basis for making payments to beneficiaries. He even cast aspersions on validity of Aadhaar saying, “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.”
It is a serious matter that a minister has expressed his doubt on the very Aadhaar card that his government had issued to citizens of India. The ruling BJP leaders have been alleging that Aadhaar cards were issued even to the people who are not Indians, such as Bangladeshis. They have campaigned for it. Elections Commission of India had originally not accepted Aadhaar card as a proof for citizenship or address during Bihar SIR process. Later Supreme Court of India had to intervene and order ECI to accept it as proof of address for enrolment as a voter.
Nevertheless, ECI has pruned the electoral roll of the country by deleting over 13.3 crore of people, many of them were dead and not found by the ECI officials on the given address. Millions of voters have contested their deletions, and got their name again in the voter list, but millions are still struggling to get their name in the electoral roll. INDIA bloc parties, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), student and youth organisations, civil societies, lawyers, academicians, celebrities, and common people have been on the agitation path against the SIR and CEC Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the electoral rolls are being manipulated to enable PM Narendra Modi and his party BJP to win elections.
Now the proposal of nationwide linking of Voter ID has threatened millions of citizens in the country who name have been deleted from the electoral roll of losing the government assistance. Among them are millions of poor people who are getting even free food grains to survive.
Currently, Punjab requires a valid Punjab Voter ID card alongside an Aadhaar card for women applying for financial assistance under Mukh Mantri Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana. Now 13.6 lakh names of voters have been deleted after the SIR. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is running in the state, which is going to poll in early 2027.
BJP won in West Bengal in April-May 2026 assembly election which was held after over 91 lakh SIR deletions in the final list. The new government linked Public Distribution System (PDS) rations and welfare benefits, such as the Annapurna Yojana to electoral rolls, where exclusion from the voter list (including during SIR updates) affects access to benefits for millions of people.
Uttar Pradesh, which is going to polls early in 2027, has also listed Voter ID card as one of the accepted valid residency/identity proofs for families applying for the Chief Minister Kanya Sumangala Yojana financial assistance. SIR process in the state is going on and about 2.8 crore voters are still missing from the electoral roll.
In the given scenario, SIR deletions are likely to be contested more vigorously across the states in the country, because if they lose their name in the voter list, they will lose all government assistance, including those which they need to their bare survival. It may also further strengthen and intensify the anti-CEC, anti-SIR protests.
Opposition political parties has strongly condemned the proposal. CPI(M) has warned that linking welfare to vote IDs would compound exclusions caused by ongoing SIR electoral roll deletions. However, critics and activists have pointed out that earlier Supreme Court decisions have maintained that exclusion from electoral rolls or technical glitches should not be used to block access to vital social welfare entitlements.
The details of the proposal are yet to come out in the public domain, therefore it is not known in which schemes the shift from Aadhaar to Voter ID authentication will be implemented. Currently there are many schemes of the government that currently use Aadhaar card authentication, which include bank accounts; pension for old people and widows; financial assistance to women and disable persons; VB G RAM G rural job guarantee scheme; financial assistance to farmers under PM-Kisan, PM Awas, EPFO and ESI for workers, PDS foodgrains, LPG subsidies, medical or other insurance schemes, maternal and other benefits to women etc. In fact, all central and State government schemes funded out of Consolidated fund of India that distribute subsidies, scholarships, pensions, or cash benefits are currently liked to Aadhaar card. Shifting it to Voter ID will therefore deprive those whose names are deleted from the voter list. (IPA Service)
