Congress MP and party General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, taking to X, accused the Modi government of “systematically using technology to exclude the most vulnerable sections of society from social welfare entitlements.”
His post cited the growing reliance on biometric systems such as Aadhaar, the Aadhaar-based Payment System (ABPS), and now facial recognition under the Poshan Tracker initiative.
A recent notice by the Ministry of Women and Child Development mandating the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) for access to basic food entitlements has sparked political backlash from the opposition.
“Pregnant women now face a new hurdle: facial recognition technology for basic and legal entitlements under the NFSA (National Food Security Act),” Ramesh wrote. “All over the world, evidence has emerged that FRT discriminates against class and colour of the skin.”
The ministry’s latest move was formalised through a notice dated May 30, which mandates the use of FRT for the delivery of Take Home Ration (THR), tracking attendance of children in Anganwadi Centres (AWCs), and registration of new beneficiaries under the Poshan Tracker system.
Effective from July 1, 2025, FRT will be compulsory during THR distribution and child attendance. From August 1, the system will also be used at the time of registration of pregnant and lactating women, as well as children aged 0 to 6 years.
What the circular says
Adult beneficiaries must complete Aadhaar e-KYC and facial recognition for registration.
For children, the Aadhaar of a parent or guardian is mandatory; a child’s picture will be taken with “liveliness detection” for ages 3–6.
Existing children aged 0–3 years will be required to update their photographs as they transition into the 3–6 age group.
While the government insists the move will improve delivery and transparency, critics say it marks another phase in a growing pattern of digital exclusion.
Declining beneficiaries, rising barriers
Ramesh highlighted data showing that the number of women who received benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana plummeted from 96 lakh in 2019–20 to just 27 lakh in 2023–24, coinciding with the rollout of Aadhaar-based payment systems and the NMMS attendance app.
“This is after other technologies… have proven to be exclusionary or have failed,” he noted.
The 365th report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports had also flagged similar concerns earlier this year, stating that the introduction of ABPS adversely impacted pregnant and lactating women’s access to the scheme.
Constitutional questions and Supreme Court warnings
The debate over digital exclusion took centre stage in April this year when the Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling, declared the right to digital access as an “intrinsic component of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.”
A two-judge bench led by Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan, hearing a plea by an acid attack survivor who was denied digital KYC at a bank, ruled that digital systems must be inclusive.
The woman, who suffered severe eye and facial injuries, was unable to complete the mandatory “live photo” requirement due to her injuries. It was only after a social media uproar that the bank relented.
The bench stated: “This is guaranteed under Articles 21 [right to life and liberty], 14 [right to equality] and 15 [protection against discrimination] of the Constitution of India.”
The court observed that the digitally disabled, particularly acid attack survivors and persons with disabilities, routinely encounter delays and barriers while accessing basic services and entitlements. It noted that the government had already been issued 20 directions in earlier rulings to make digital systems more inclusive, yet such cases persist.
What is FRT and why the opposition says it’s problematic?
Facial recognition technology, or FRT, is a biometric system that identifies individuals by comparing a probe image—usually taken from a video or camera—with a reference database of known facial images. While the technology claims to enhance efficiency, global studies have consistently found bias in FRT systems, particularly against darker skin tones, women, and non-dominant ethnicities.
Jairam Ramesh, referencing international research, said: “Digital India must enable, not disempower. It must not remain a Preach Inclusion Practice Exclusion (PIPE) dream.”
His post also pointed out the difficulties acid attack survivors face in even enrolling in Aadhaar, and how Adivasis continue to lose access to subsidised food rations due to biometric mismatches or glitches.
“First, Aadhaar was weaponised to block crores of workers from MGNREGA. Acid attack survivors had to battle in court just to enroll in Aadhaar. Adivasis across the country still lose rations to tech glitches,” he wrote.
With July and August deadlines approaching for the full rollout of facial recognition under the Poshan Tracker system, the debate over its fairness is only expected to intensify.