CPM opposes Centre’s cash transfer scheme

The CPM on Thursday opposed the Centre's new "direct cash transfer" scheme while contesting the claim as it being a "game changer" .

"This is UPA government's obsessive commitment to cut subsidies. Though it has declared that the system will be extended to food, kerosene and fertilisers, but during high inflation, cash transfers to replace public goods will actually lead to a cut in subsidies, since the cash to be transferred will not cover the increased costs of subsidised foodgrain," CPM leader Tikender Singh Panwar said.

He added: "This will have an adverse impact on increasing malnutrition and hunger. The CPM strongly opposes such a policy, instead of providing a universal public distribution system at controlled prices."

Objecting linking MNREGA wages to AADHAR cards, Panwar said: "As has been repeatedly pointed out by experts, biometric identification for manual workers has a 20 per cent margin of error, as fingerprints of such workers change with time. Its the same in case of senior citizens as well."

"As far as scholarships and pensions are concerned, most already come under cash transfer schemes through bank accounts and are fiscal neutral. The amounts and also the coverage should be increased and linked to the price index," he added.

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