*Aadhaar Card Problem In Saligao*
*Meeting of bank staff, panchayat members and villagers: a report* *The Manager of the Saligao branch of Bank of India, Ms. Ashwini Naidu met the Saligao sarpanch, Ms. Lafira Gomes in the Saligao panchayat office this morning.* Also present at the meeting were panchas Lucas Remedios and Dayanand Kudnekar, ex-sarpanch Eknath Oraskar and affected local villagers. The sarpanch and ex-sarpanch impressed upon the bank manager that, *she had no right to deny consumers of BOI's Saligao branch, money from their accounts*. They told her that the Aadhaar card was not mandatory till midnight of 31 December 2017 and that * bank staff should neither frighten nor force consumers to link their accounts to the card.* Everyone present also told her that *the Bank of India had no right to demand that consumers sign a declaration stating that they are not linking their Aadhaar cards to their accounts with the branch.* The panchayat members told the bank manager that there were several complaints over the last few weeks stating that bank staff was frightening them and forcing them to make the link. This should stop, they said. The manager and an officer she brought along, said that the government was pressurising BOI at the corporate level. In turn, their Zonal Office were pressurising them at the branch level to meet certain daily targets of Aadhaar card linkages. The manager was told by everyone that bank staff had no right pass on that pressure to BOI consumers of the Saligao branch. *It was very encouraging to see the Saligao sarpanch, panchayat members and villagers unite to stop the Bank of India from arrogantly denying local consumers their civil liberties, economic and democratic rights.* (ends) Muriel D'Souza Mario Mascarenhas * (both present at the above meeting),* Saligao. *PS: Attaching material that will help understand Aadhaar card linkages.* -- ................................................................ there *is* *anOTHERgoa at:* *<https://www.facebook.com/mario.mascarenhas.967 <https://www.facebook.com/mario.mascarenhas.967>>,<https://www.facebook.com/goa.garbage.struggle <https://www.facebook.com/goa.garbage.struggle>>,*<http://www.an*OTHER*goa. blogspot.in <http://www.anothergoa.blogspot.in/>>, <http://www.saligao.org>, <http://www.youtube.com/anothergoa> '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' muriel & mario, c/o FULKAR, 6/22, sonarbhatt, saligao. bardez. goa. 403511. tel: *0832.2409999* / 9405950605 <anothergoa AT gmail.com> '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
