CPI(M) slams mandatory biometric, voter ID checks for welfare, warns of mass exclusion of poor

New Delhi, Nov 4 (UNI) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday launched a strong attack on the union government's reported decision to make biometric authentication and Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) mandatory for welfare payments, warning that the move would create fresh barriers for millions of poor and vulnerable people seeking access to their legitimate entitlements. In a statement issued by its Polit Bureau on November 4, the CPI(M) termed the announcement by union Minister for Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh "a further assault on the rural poor" and demanded its immediate withdrawal. The party cautioned that making…