UID being used to make rural employment payments

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said the Unique Identification number (UID) was being used for making payments under rural employment guarantee schemes in Jharkhand to cut delay in payments.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) was the biggest customer of the UID project.

Talking to reporters, Ramesh said the ministry was keen on steps to curb the delay in payments to beneficiaries of MGNREGA. He said UID had been used in MGNREGA payments in Jharkhand and the "results have been positive."

The minister said MGNREGA beneficiaries get payment through banking correspondents in about 10 minutes through micro-ATM (automated teller machine) using the UID number.

"He (the worker) gets the payment on the spot through micro-ATM (automated teller machine)," Ramesh said.

Ministry officials said that about 80 per cent of MGNREGA payments were made through banks and post offices for which 100 million accounts had been opened.

In 2010-11, nearly 55 million families were provided 2500 million person-days of work under MGNREGA.