No Subhadra Yojana benefit for women with dual Aadhaar cards in Odisha’s Kotia

Women residing in the fringe villages under Kotia panchayat in Koraput district are reportedly finding it challenging to benefit from the ambitious Subhadra Yojana of the Odisha government, due to complications arising from holding dual Aadhaar cards.

Many of these women possess Aadhaar cards from both Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. This complication has led to the cancellation of their applications for the Subhadra Yojana, intended for women empowerment, during the verification process.

Local administration is struggling to resolve this issue, which has left many women in these bordering villages uncertain about their eligibility. The women, despite not receiving government funds, continue to hope for inclusion in the Subhadra scheme.

Anganwadi workers have advised these women to retain only one Aadhaar card to simplify the process. However, their apprehensions linger as they feel that giving up their card from Andhra Pradesh might mean forfeiting benefits from the schemes provided by the neighbouring state.

“I have two Aadhaar cards. However, I don’t know why I have not been provided money under Subhadra Yojana so far,” said a woman from Kotia region.

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“While some of the women in our area have received money under Subhadra Yojana, some others are yet to receive any amount. Earlier, we have got assistances from the Odisha government under many  other schemes. We are hopeful that we will get assistance from Subhadra Yojana as well,” said another woman.

“Some women have not got any assistance under Subhadra Yojana yet as they have Aadhaar cards from both Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. We are making them aware to retain only Odisha Aadhaar card to get assistance under the scheme,” said Anganwadi worker Nini Guntha.

Kotia panchayat, which includes villages like Tala Ganjeipadar, Upara Ganjeipadar, Barnapadu, Madkar, Phagusineri, Phatusineri and Doliamba, reports approximately 2,255 women waiting for assistance under the Subhadra scheme. Presently, 1,585 women have applied, but by the latest count, only 1,100 have received the first installment.

“Some women are apprehending that by giving up their card from Andhra Pradesh might mean forfeiting benefits from schemes provided by the neighbouring state,” said Kotia Naib Sarpanch Salapu Gemel.

As per reports, the District Collector of Koraput recently made a visit to Kotia to look into this matter and said that a dedicated task force will be formed to address the issue. As the fourth phase of the initial payments has concluded, many residents are yet to get any aid.

“We have found Aadhaar issues at some places. We are going to set up camps at those places to address the issue. Around 70 to 75 per cent applications from Kotia have been submitted so far. The technical issues will be resolved and all the beneficiaries in Kotia region will be included under Subhadra Yojana through the special camp soon,” said Koraput Collector V Keerthi Vasan.

Despite these challenges, there remains a sense of hope within the community for eventual inclusion in the scheme.