By Ram Krishnaswamy
30 September, 2011, Countercurrents.org
1. Aadhaar Hand Book for Registrars - Version 1.2 – September 2010 Page 4
2. Aadhaar Overview
Aadhaar's Hand Book for Registrars says :
Aadhaar, which means ‘foundation' in many Indian languages, has the following Features and Benefits :
Comment : Al Queda also means base or Foundation. If Al Queda is a Terrorist Organisation then Aadhaar has to be State Sponsored Terrorism on its own people – all Indians
1. One Aadhaar = 1 beneficiary: Aadhaar is a unique number, and no resident can have a duplicate number since it is linked to their individual biometrics; thereby identifying fake and ghost identities which result in leakages today. Savings from eliminating duplicates and fakes through Aadhaar-based identification will further enable governments to expand benefits to other eligible residents
Comment : It is an out landish statement to say that fake and ghost identities result in leakages today considering only about 15 % of Govt Subsidies reach the deserving poor. Of these even if 10% are fake and ghost identities it would amount to 1.5% of a PDS that is worth Rs 50,000 crores which will amount to about Rs 750 crores. It does not make sense spending Rs 45000 to Rs 150000 crores to save a paltry sum.
Main corruption is upstream in the distribution chain and here we are victimizing the victims all over.
Which is the bigger crime a poor family double dipping on PDS to stay alive or Govt wasting mega bucks on a white elephant called Aadhaar ?. Further Aadhaar is optional and cannot be forced and can never cover the entire population nor does Aadhaar help identify the deserving poor BPL population.
It is possible to double dip on PDS even with Aadhaar which is not compulsory. For example any one with two Ration Cards for example can use aadhaar for one and claim not to have an Aadhaar while using the other. It does not take an IT Whiz or Consultants like Ernst & Young or Accenture to figure this out.
2. Portability: Aadhaar is a universal number, and agencies and services can contact the central Unique Identification database from anywhere in the country to confirm a beneficiary's identity
Comment: This seems to be a great sales pitch, that Aadhaar is portable and can be used anywhere in India to avail Govt subsidies. It is a pity that none of the proponents of Aadhaar can foresee the dangers ahead. Extremely poor Rural population can and will move enmasse into already over crowded cities armed by the fact that their Aadhaar card will get them their rations any where in India. Are we happy to have more slums in our cities ? This influx in population will also lead to increase in crime and prostitution as a means of survival in Metros.
3. Inclusion of those without any existing identity documents : A problem in reaching benefits to poor and marginalized residents is that they often lack the identification documents they need to receive State benefits; the ‘Introducer' system which has been approved for data verification for the UIDAI will enable such residents to establish an identity
Comment : This is perhaps the biggest flaw in Aadhaar. It creates a new Introducer system that is prone to be vandalized by opportunists keen on making a quick buck. UIDAI does not have the man power to supervise and audit this aspect and consequently we as a nation can embrace ourselves as crores of aliens from border states will ease into the nation and Aadhaar will legitamise them as residents of India . West Bengal beware.
Outside UIDAI offices are touts who will act as “Introducers” for a fee. You could be any body, choose any name or any address and any date of birth as you wish, as all you will require is an Introducer
4. Electronic benefit transfers: the UID-enabled-Bank-Account network will offer a secure and low cost platform to directly remit benefits to residents without the heavy costs associated today with benefit distribution; the leakages in the current system will also be stemmed as a result
Comment: PDS Leakages will not be stemmed but ghosts with Aadhaar will receive payments in perpetuity in lieu of PDS grains or receive NREGA payments without doing a days work. The concept of authentication of NREGA labourers on work sites is a myth that will never be achieved.
Miss Piggy said “ By the time I am Thin, FAT will be in” By the time UIDAI dishes out these Unique numbers, PDS, NREGA and even UPA II may not exist.
5. Aadhaar-based authentication to confirm entitlement delivered to the beneficiary : the UIDAI will offer online authentication services for agencies who wish to validate a resident's identity; this service will enable confirmation of the entitlement actually reaching the intended beneficiary
Comment : Key words here are “agencies who wish to validate a residents identity” Ration shop owners and NREGA contractors will be the last to use authentication services to validate a residents identity. It is not in their interest plus it is a time consuming process with no additional financial returns. So who will use this authentication service ?
Further even major cities are facing power cuts on a daily basis. A few days ago a friend in Mumbai wrote he could not use his computer all day as there was no power. “On line Authentication” of people all over the country, with no electricity and no internet connectivity, sounds like a drunkard's fantsy.
6. Improved services through increased transparency: Clear accountability and transparent monitoring would significantly improve access and quality of entitlements to beneficiaries and the agency alike
Comment: How does transparency result in improved quality of entitlements?. 35 Kilos quota will remain the same in PDS, how will this improve ? Will Aadhaar enable the poor to get better quality grains ?
Sounds more mumbo jumbo sales pitch
7. Self-service puts residents in control: Using Aadhaar as an authentication mechanism, residents should be able to access up-to-date information about their entitlements, demand services and redress their grievances directly from their mobile phone, kiosks or other means. In the case of self-service on the resident's mobile, security is assured using two-factor authentication (i.e. by proving possession of the resident's registered Mobile Number and knowledge of the resident's Aadhaar PIN). These standards are compliant with the Reserve Bank of India's approved standards for Mobile Banking and Payments. (Please see Annexure for how mobile phone can be used for Aadhaar enabled applications)
Comment: This is exactly what one can expect from Corporate Consultants in pin striped suits. We are talking about a target population in need for government subsidies who are predominantly uneducated & living in rural India. Even if they are using mobile phones, though it seems unlikely, it is only to communicate with loved ones. Will some one educate UIDAI's Chief and consultants that the target population is uneducated ( meaning cannot read and write) rural poor and incapable of determining their entitlements using mobile phones.
Will some one send Nandan Nilekani and his UIDAI experts to remote villages without power, banks and kirana shops and ask them to explain how efficient Aadhaar will be ?
Remember what happened to Internet Kiosks ? It failed despite being a great concept only because poor who earn less than Rs 50 a day cannot tell the difference between a TV and a Computer Monitor used in Internet Kiosks.
Concept of Micro ATMs in Kirana shops to service the rural population.
Comments: Chaps who run Kirana shops are there to make money out of the poor. In the Long run each Kirana shop owner will become a Micro Lender if we are to be polite and a Pawn Broker who will lend money at high interest to poor who pledge their Aadhaar and Ration Cards. This means the poor cannot avail monthly quota without begging and pleasing the Kirana shop owner. Has the nation forgotten the scenes from Mother India and how a poor widow was exploited by a Kirana shop owner. ( Watch you tube clips to jog your memory)
Cash Transfers in lieu of PDS
Comment : Does Nandan Nilekani a Billionaire living in his Gated Mansion know more about the poor & poverty in India than Jean Dreze & Aruna Roy the brains behind NREGA?.
Aruna Roy says “ Aadhaar is Bound to Fail”
Jean Dreze in his article “ The Cash Mantra” says “For poor people, food entitlements have several advantages over cash transfers; they are inflation-proof, unlike cash transfers that can be eroded by local price increases, even if they are indexed to the general price level…..
Privacy, Legality, and Constitution;
Comment: Is Uidai Chief also an expert on Sociology, a Lawyer and an expert on Constitutional Matters ? If he is he would have come out of hiding and debated legal eagles like Usha Ramanathan a Human Rights Lawyer and Somnath Bharti and IIT Alumnus as well as a Supreme Court Lawyer.
Biometrics
Comment: There is zero expertise in UIDAI on Biometrics besides vendors keen on signing mega contracts. One has to read an article “India's ID card scheme – drowning in a sea of false positives by David Moss . Read all about how two key players L1 Identity and Morpho have now merged into Safran to get a strangle hold on UIDAIs Aadhaar. Safran completes acquisition of L1 Identity solutions to become worlds leader in Biometric Solutions
Have Indians forgotten how East India Company traded mainly in cotton, silk, indigo dye , saltpetre , tea, and opium. The Company also came to rule large areas of India, exercising military power and assuming administrative functions, to the exclusion, gradually, of its commercial pursuits; it effectively functioned as a megacorporation . Is history repeating itself here ?
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Ram Krishnaswamy is the Founder and Managing Director (Retd) of Noise Control Australia. He compiled and published in 2008 “Reflections by IITians” , a book showcasing the paths traversed by a diverse range of IITians.
He is the owner/ moderator of IIT Global Yahoo Groups and Jago India Yahoo group and is the publisher of the blog on “All Aadhaar Related Articles” .
He actively supports “Jeevodaya” a Hospice for terminally ill Cancer Patients in Chennai, Tamilnadu.
He is currently co-authoring a series of articles on Aadhaar in Money life. “ Privacy Numbers Game ” by Ram Krishnaswamy & Vickram Crishna Part 1 “ Privacy Numbers Game ” Moneylife
