Why linking MGNREGA payments to Aadhaar is a mistake

India, March 21 -- How did the government apply Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act to the payments of MGNREGA remuneration,which in no way seem to be in accordance with the guidelines of the Act

The payments of wages in MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) are done through the Aadhaar Payments Bridge (APB) using the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) systems. Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act has been applied to MGNREGA which enables the Central and state governments to establish the identity of an individual through Aadhaar for receiving subsidies, benefits or services from the government.

It is however not clear why an employment guarantee programme like MGNREGA is considered as a DBT scheme and why the NREGA workers are made to l...