"Aadhar will make life tough for workers rescued from bonded labour: Activists", 15 March 2017

Workers rescued from bonded labour in India will be unable to access compensation because the government has linked the benefit to a biometric identity card that most victims do not have, activists said on Tuesday. Rights campaigners warned that rescued workers could be forced back into bonded labour if they could not claim rehabilitation grants quickly to help them get back on their feet...India, which has announced plans to rescue over 18 million bonded labourers by 2030, increased compensation for rescued workers five-fold last year as part of wider efforts to tackle modern slavery. But it announced last week that the payouts - like many other welfare benefits - would be linked to the country's Aadhar card. Aadhar is a 12-digit identity number issued to Indian residents that requires individuals to register their fingerprints and iris signatures....The government says more than 90 percent of residents now have an Aadhar number. But rights activists estimate only about 1 percent of bonded workers have one. "It's impossible for workers bonded in brick kilns to apply for an Aadhar card.