UP Parivar Kalyan Card: What is UP Family ID Scheme and How will it help in delivery of Govt Scheme Benefits?

UP Parivar Kalyan Card: Central Government has given its approval for the launch of UP Parivar Kalyan Card using Aadhaar authentication. The UP Family ID plan is a scheme under which Family IDs will be provided to family units of residents living in Uttar Pradesh. After its implementation, the UP Parivar Kalyan Card will be a 12-digit card that will help the state govt to map all the families and the benefits of several govt schemes received by a family. Recently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEIT) has given its clearance for use of Aadhaar authentication to verify the details being used in the UP-Family ID Card. With the nod from MeIT, the state government is expected to launch the application portal for UP Parivar Kalyan Card scheme in the next two weeks.

What is UP Parivar Kalyan Card or UP Family ID Card Scheme?

UP Parivar Kalyan Card Scheme has been conceptualized as a tool to help identify family units within the state and use them to implement various government schemes and their benefits. Through the scheme, the state government will identify a family unit and its members and also qualify them as beneficiaries for various government schemes ranging from employment, pensions and housing benefits among others.

UP Parivar Kalyan Card - Background and Conceptualization

The root of UP Family ID Scheme can be traced back to the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP Govts election manifesto of 2022. During the UP Elections, BJP in its manifesto had promised to give one employment source to each family. However, tracking family units in order to identify the eligible candidates who can be offered employment has proven to be a challenge for the state government after coming to power. This problem was also prominently faced in the implementation of other government schemes that are targeted at family units and plug leakages and duplicate beneficiaries.

 In line with this, the UP Government has planned to launch UP Parivar Kalyan Card, which will now identify a family unit and issue a Family ID Card based on which government schemes and other benefits can be easily passed on to the members of the family. UP Government has also consulted state governments of Haryana and Karnataka, who have launched similar schemes under banners of ‘Parivar Pehchan Patra’ and ‘Kutumba Card’, respectively.

To understand the opportunities and challenges involved in the implementation of the UP-Family ID Scheme, the government launched a pilot project in Prayagraj. In the pilot, families within the district were identified based on their ration card data and beneficiaries for different government schemes were mapped accordingly.

How will UP Parivar Kalyan Card work?

Voluntary Registration Process: The UP Parivar Kalyan Card will be issued to family units based on their Aadhaar Data. Under the programme, family units will be allowed to register to receive a 12 Digit Family ID on the basis of which different persons within the family would be identified to receive benefits under government schemes. Currently, registration for UP Parivar Kalyan Card Scheme has been kept voluntary and only those seeking to avail govt scheme benefits will be required to register for it. The state government is expected to launch the registration portal for the same in the next two weeks.

Aadhaar-based Authentication: The details of family members under the UP Parivar Kalyan Card will be identified based on their Aadhaar Data, which will be verified against the centralized database. However, the ministry has specified that any beneficiary will not be denied any service or benefits due to failure of Aadhaar-based authentication.

Consent of Resident Mandatory: Any Government body, including the planning department, will be required to obtain ‘informed consent of the residents’ before using their Aadhar Data and seed that information for use against other departments. Furthermore, data of UP Family Card Beneficiaries will be utilized for such purposes and schemes, which are in compliance with provisions of the Aadhaar Act.

No Display of Aadhaar Numbers: The Aadhaar numbers of the beneficiaries will not be displayed anywhere and only the last four digits of the identification number are allowed to be used for public purposes.

Ration Card to be Treated as Family ID: UP Residents who have Ration Cards will be able to use the same as their family ID. Persons and families who do not possess a Ration Card will be able to register for UP Parivar Kalyan Card via the official portal. Currently, about 60% of the state’s population is covered by the ration card scheme.