AIKS Condemns the Retrograde Decision to Collect Information on Caste at the Point-of-Sale (PoS) Machines in Fertilizer Shops for Getting Fertilizer Subsidy

PRESS RELEASE

04-03-2023

AIKS condemns the arbitrary, unwarranted decision of having a mandatory caste category at the Point-of-Sale (PoS) machines in fertilizer shops for getting fertilizer subsidy. The Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers should immediately withdraw this retrograde decision. It has been reported that  farmers are being asked to enter their caste details. People cutting across religion and caste engage in cultivation. Collection of these details are absolutely unnecessary for buying fertiliser. The use of biometric also often becomes a tool for exclusion. Modi Government introduced mandatory use of Aadhaar-linked PoS machines for sale of fertilizers as a step towards switching from the current system of fertilizer subsidies to a DBT scheme. AIKS is resolutely against the use of PoS machines for sale of fertilizers and any attempt to change fertilizer subsidies to DBT.

The recent experience of shifting cooking gas subsidies to DBT has shown that DBT subsidies schemes are nothing but a ploy to withdraw subsidies altogether. In agriculture, DBT schemes are linked to land records and exclude landless and tenant cultivators from the benefit of subsidies. Fertiliser subsidy should reflect in prices and government must ensure adequate supply of fertilizers at controlled prices. Over the last two years, although government has controlled fertilizer prices from rising because of pressure from farmers, fertilizer supply has been reduced drastically. As a result, farmers are unable to purchase as much fertilizer as they need, and black-marketing has become rampant.

AIKS demands that this retrograde decision to collect information on caste be withdrawn immediately. The government should roll back the mandatory use of Aadhaar-seeded PoS machines, and ensure that adequate supplies of fertilizers are made available to farmers at controlled prices.

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Vijoo Krishnan,                                                                      Ashok Dhawale

General Secretary                                                                       President