Welfare payments will be based on voter IDs, not Aadhaar, says Panchayati Raj Minister

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh. File

Voter identity cards, along with biometric authentication, will be the basis for identifying beneficiaries and processing payments for welfare schemes within the ambit of the Panchayati Raj Ministry, Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh, alias Lallan Singh, reiterated on Tuesday (November 3, 2026).

He was speaking to the media on the sidelines of an event at the Sikkim Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited in Gangtok. He had made this remark earlier on Friday during a day-long workshop organised by his Ministry on the “People’s Plan Campaign (PPC) 2026-27” in Delhi.

His remarks come amid the Opposition’s sustained campaign on “vote chori” (vote theft), alleging wrongful deletions from the electoral rolls.

“Aadhaar is currently the basis for payments to beneficiaries, but it will no longer be considered the primary means of identification,” Mr. Singh said.

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The Minister, while speaking in Delhi, had lamented the easy availability of Aadhaar card, which he said can be made in “every street corner”, implying the possibility of fraudulent beneficiaries. “If one wants, one can get an Aadhaar card made in five minutes,” he said.

He said the beneficiaries would instead have to provide biometric authentication along with their EPIC, or voter identification card, numbers to establish their identity and receive government benefits. “Biometric authentication along with EPIC will serve as their identification credentials, and payments will be made based on that information,” he said.

The proposed shift, the Minister argued in Gangtok, would ensure that welfare schemes are extended only to “eligible” beneficiaries, culling out “fraudulent entries”. This would strengthen the verification process and improve transparency in the delivery of welfare benefits, he said

The Sixteenth Finance Commission, for the award period 2026-31, has recommended total grants amounting to ₹4,35,236 crore for 2.55 lakh panchayats and traditional local bodies.

India / ministers (government) / national government / government / Sikkim / Janata Dal (United)