Aadhaar made mandatory for urban poor to avail TNUHDB’s housing units

CHENNAI: In a significant move, the state government has announced that Aadhaar authentication is mandatory for availing houses under the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) projects.

According to a GO issued by Kakarla Usha, Principal Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Department, the beneficiaries will have to furnish proof of possession of the Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication.

"Under the housing scheme for slum dwellers, homeless and economically weaker sections, the houses (tenements) with subsidy from the Government of India and Government of Tamil Nadu are allotted to the beneficiaries by the TNUHDB as per the extant scheme guidelines," the GO read, adding that in pursuance of Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, the beneficiary must furnish the proof of possession of the Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication.

It further said that beneficiaries who do not possess Aadhaar should apply for the same before registering for the housing scheme.

However, it said that till the time Aadhaar is assigned to the beneficiary, benefits under the scheme shall be given to them, subject to the production of the Aadhaar enrolment identification slip, and ration card or bank passbook or voter ID or driving licence or MGNREGA card or passport or PAN card.

However, condemning the move, J Sebastian, coordinator of People's Struggle Committee for the Rights of Livelihood (PSCRL), said, "The TNUHDB (earlier, Slum Clearance Board) was launched to provide houses to the poor who are homeless, living on roadsides and river banks. Do homeless people have government IDs including Aadhaar? Doubts arise that such new practices are being introduced to sell houses to the rich instead of the poor."