Aadhaar Used to Identify 200 Cr Beneficiaries in India's Social Protection Schemes

New Delhi, Mar 25 (PTI) Over 200 crore records were processed to identify unique beneficiaries by utilising encrypted Aadhaar across 34 major Central government schemes such as MGNREGA, EPFO and ESIC, an official statement said on Tuesday.

In the statement, the Ministry of Labour & Employment said the Phase-1 of India's Social Protection Data Pooling Exercise has also been kick started.

The country has made significant strides in enhancing its social protection coverage through a comprehensive data-pooling exercise in collaboration with ILO (International Labour Organization), the statement said.

"By utilizing encrypted Aadhaar as a unique identifier across 34 major Central schemes such as MGNREGA, EPFO, ESIC, APY, and PM-POSHAN, over 200 crore records were processed to identify unique beneficiaries," it added.

This exercise revealed that 65 per cent of India's population (92 crore people) is covered by at least one social protection benefit (cash and in-kind both), with 48.8 per cent receiving cash benefits.

Further, the ministry said that India's present social protection coverage assessment by ILO at 48.8 per cent is an underestimation, as it does not account for in-kind benefits provided to people.

The actual social protection coverage of India is expected to be much higher after this data is taken into account, it added.

On data pooling, the ministry said the exercise will not only strengthen India's global reputation as a social protection pioneer but also facilitate the Central government, states and Union Territories to optimise welfare spending and social protection.

In Phase 1, the ministry said Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Gujarat will be included for data consolidation at the Central level.