Right to Food Campaign activists of Jharkhand have written an open letter to Ajay Bhushan Pandey CEO, Unique Identification Authority of India on the cancellation of Ration Cards because they were not linked to Aadhaar cards. Large numbers of ration cards were recently cancelled in Jharkhand because they had not been linked with Aadhaar.
To Ajay Bhushan Pandey
CEO, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
Dear Mr. Pandey,
Kindly refer to the request below from Right to Food Campaign Jharkhand, also attached with signatures and annexure (in English).
Request for legal action against the Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand
Dear Mr. Pandey,
As you would know from media reports, large numbers of ration cards were recently cancelled in Jharkhand because they had not been linked with Aadhaar. This happened in pursuance of orders issued on 27 March 2017 by the Chief Secretary of the Jharkhand Government – see Annexure.
Many of the cancelled cards belonged to people who have legal entitlements to food rations under the National Food Security Act, and who had been unable to get their electronic ration card linked to Aadhaar (if they had one) for no fault of their own. One example is Koili Devi of Karimati village in Simdega district, head of a destitute Dalit family, whose ration card was cancelled on 22 July 2017 according to Jharkhand’s Food Minister Shri Saryu Rai. Her daughter died of hunger on 28 September 2017.
You have repeatedly said and written that if anyone is deprived of food rations for lack of Aaadhaar, that would be a violation of Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act and responsible officers should be punished. This is a case in point, as you have argued yourself. What you rarely mention, however, is that Section 47 of the Act prevents anyone other than the UIDAI (i.e., you) from initiating legal action against a violation of Section 7.
We therefore request to initiate legal action against the Chief Secretary of the Jharkhand Government for violating Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act.
To Ajay Bhushan Pandey
CEO, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
Dear Mr. Pandey,
Kindly refer to the request below from Right to Food Campaign Jharkhand, also attached with signatures and annexure (in English).
Request for legal action against the Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand
Dear Mr. Pandey,
As you would know from media reports, large numbers of ration cards were recently cancelled in Jharkhand because they had not been linked with Aadhaar. This happened in pursuance of orders issued on 27 March 2017 by the Chief Secretary of the Jharkhand Government – see Annexure.
Many of the cancelled cards belonged to people who have legal entitlements to food rations under the National Food Security Act, and who had been unable to get their electronic ration card linked to Aadhaar (if they had one) for no fault of their own. One example is Koili Devi of Karimati village in Simdega district, head of a destitute Dalit family, whose ration card was cancelled on 22 July 2017 according to Jharkhand’s Food Minister Shri Saryu Rai. Her daughter died of hunger on 28 September 2017.
You have repeatedly said and written that if anyone is deprived of food rations for lack of Aaadhaar, that would be a violation of Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act and responsible officers should be punished. This is a case in point, as you have argued yourself. What you rarely mention, however, is that Section 47 of the Act prevents anyone other than the UIDAI (i.e., you) from initiating legal action against a violation of Section 7.
We therefore request to initiate legal action against the Chief Secretary of the Jharkhand Government for violating Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act.