ABBA 2017
This survey was conducted to evaluate the impact of Aadhaar-based biometric authentication (ABBA) on Public Distribution System (PDS) in Jharkhand. The findings suggest that imposition of ABBA is a case of “Pain without gain” — it led to serious exclusion problems and high transaction costs, without any reduction in the main form of PDS corruption viz. quantity fraud.
Survey Resources
- Presentation slides: for an overview of the survey findings.
- EPW article: for detailed survey results.
- Survey Questionnaires: Household (English, Hindi); PDS Shop (English, Hindi)
Case Studies
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'Big Brother' in India Requires Fingerprint Scans for Food, Phones and Finances
"You almost feel like life is going to stop without an Aadhaar," Ms. Jha said. Technology has given governments around the world new tools to monitor their citizens. In China, the government is rolling out ways to use facial recognition and big data to track people, aiming to inject itself further into everyday life.
How Aadhaar and Digitisation Compounded Problems of Corruption, Leakages and Exclusion Plaguing the PDS in Jharkhand
On 21 July, during the parliament's monsoon session, CR Chaudhary, the minister of state for consumer affairs, food and public distribution, stated in the Rajya Sabha that the government has issued around 231 million rations cards covering almost 80 crore beneficiaries to food subsidies under the National Food Security Act of 2013.
सोना मुर्मू को क्यों नहीं मिलता राशन का चावल
सोना मुर्मू की उम्र 55 साल है. चेहरे पर झुर्रियों ने दस्तक दे दी है. बालों की सफ़ेदी इस तथ्य की मुनादी है कि उन्होंने 'अनुभवी' पुकारे जाने लायक दुनिया देख ली है. इसके बावजूद उन्हें इस बात का अनुभव नहीं कि जन वितरण प्रणाली (पीडीएस) की दुकानों में नियमित तौर पर राशन कैसे मिलता है.
The Aadhaar Game: Can You Survive This Maze To Reach Your Food Ration?
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Video | India Matters: Not 'POS'able
India Matters: Not 'POS'able | NDTV.com Video | The Point of Sales machines installed at ration shops have failed to recognize a number of card holders. What it means is that some of the poorest people in the village have been living without ration for months.
PDS focus should be on people, not fingerprints
In certain circles of Jharkhand, a newly-minted term has become the source of heartburn and more - PoS-able. It refers to whether or not one's fingerprints match on the PoS (point of sale) biometric readers in ration shops. Those whose fingerprints match, access their allotted ration.
In Rural Jharkhand, Aadhaar Link to Welfare Schemes is Excluding the Most Needy
Note: This article was first published on July 18, 2017 and is being republished on September 26, 2018 in light of the Supreme Court upholding the constitutional validity of Aadhaar while striking down some sections of the Act. On linking Aadhaar with social welfare schemes, Justice A.K.