Kolkata: Urging the community not to worry over the invalidation of Aadhaar cards, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Tuesday, wrote to the chairman of West Bengal Namasudra Development Board, Mukul Bairagya who is also scheduled to meet her on Wednesday. According to reports, it came to light that about 32 crore Aadhaar cards have been invalidated all over India and over 2 lakh in Bengal.
It was learnt that the Namashudra community will stage a protest in Delhi. Moreover, the Matua community in Bongaon, North 24-Parganas too received letters of such invalidation on Monday. On Tuesday, the Panchayat leaders alleged that 33-odd residents under Helencha Gram Panchayat in Bagda received similar letters. More than 150 complaints of Aadhaar deactivation were received at the Aadhaar Grievances Portal of West Bengal till Tuesday evening, on the very first day of it becoming functional. The state government has also launched a WhatsApp chatbot with the number 9088885544 for such Aadhaar deactivation grievances from Tuesday night.
A senior Nabanna official informed that majority of the complaints were received from East Burdwan and North 24-Parganas district. Banerjee, in her letter, stated that she has received complaints over deactivation of Aadhaar cards but made it clear that nobody will be deprived of any social welfare scheme of the state government due to such deactivation. In her letter, she has also informed about the portal where people, whose Aadhaar cards have been deactivated, can send in his/her details along with the invalidation communique received from the Centre.
Banerjee in a press conference, on Monday, said that the state will issue an alternative card to them which will guarantee their entitlement of all social welfare schemes as well as citizenship rights. She had also made it clear that even if banks refuse to pay benefits with Aadhar card deactivation, the state government will hold camps and hand over the benefits. Banerjee also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging his intervention on the issue. She had claimed to learn from the head office of UIDAI in New Delhi that the authorities without any field enquiry, or hearing the persons and taking the state government into confidence, is issuing letters to individuals and family members informing them about Aadhaar card deactivation under provisions of the Regulation of 28 A of Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, 2016.