In 2009, I became extremely concerned with the concept of Unique Identity for various reasons. Connected with many like minded highly educated people who were all concerned.
On 18th May 2010, I started this Blog to capture anything and everything I came across on the topic. This blog with its million hits is a testament to my concerns about loss of privacy and fear of the ID being misused and possible Criminal activities it could lead to.
In 2017 the Supreme Court of India gave its verdict after one of the longest hearings on any issue. I did my bit and appealed to the Supreme Court Judges too through an On Line Petition.
In 2019 the Aadhaar Legislation has been revised and passed by the two houses of the Parliament of India making it Legal. I am no Legal Eagle so my Opinion carries no weight except with people opposed to the very concept.
In 2019, this Blog now just captures on a Daily Basis list of Articles Published on anything to do with Aadhaar as obtained from Daily Google Searches and nothing more. Cannot burn the midnight candle any longer.
"In Matters of Conscience, the Law of Majority has no place"- Mahatma Gandhi
Ram Krishnaswamy
Sydney, Australia.

Aadhaar

The UIDAI has taken two successive governments in India and the entire world for a ride. It identifies nothing. It is not unique. The entire UID data has never been verified and audited. The UID cannot be used for governance, financial databases or anything. It’s use is the biggest threat to national security since independence. – Anupam Saraph 2018

When I opposed Aadhaar in 2010 , I was called a BJP stooge. In 2016 I am still opposing Aadhaar for the same reasons and I am told I am a Congress die hard. No one wants to see why I oppose Aadhaar as it is too difficult. Plus Aadhaar is FREE so why not get one ? Ram Krishnaswamy

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.-Mahatma Gandhi

In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.Mahatma Gandhi

“The invasion of privacy is of no consequence because privacy is not a fundamental right and has no meaning under Article 21. The right to privacy is not a guaranteed under the constitution, because privacy is not a fundamental right.” Article 21 of the Indian constitution refers to the right to life and liberty -Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi

“There is merit in the complaints. You are unwittingly allowing snooping, harassment and commercial exploitation. The information about an individual obtained by the UIDAI while issuing an Aadhaar card shall not be used for any other purpose, save as above, except as may be directed by a court for the purpose of criminal investigation.”-A three judge bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar said in an interim order.

Legal scholar Usha Ramanathan describes UID as an inverse of sunshine laws like the Right to Information. While the RTI makes the state transparent to the citizen, the UID does the inverse: it makes the citizen transparent to the state, she says.

Good idea gone bad
I have written earlier that UID/Aadhaar was a poorly designed, unreliable and expensive solution to the really good idea of providing national identification for over a billion Indians. My petition contends that UID in its current form violates the right to privacy of a citizen, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. This is because sensitive biometric and demographic information of citizens are with enrolment agencies, registrars and sub-registrars who have no legal liability for any misuse of this data. This petition has opened up the larger discussion on privacy rights for Indians. The current Article 21 interpretation by the Supreme Court was done decades ago, before the advent of internet and today’s technology and all the new privacy challenges that have arisen as a consequence.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP Rajya Sabha

“What is Aadhaar? There is enormous confusion. That Aadhaar will identify people who are entitled for subsidy. No. Aadhaar doesn’t determine who is eligible and who isn’t,” Jairam Ramesh

But Aadhaar has been mythologised during the previous government by its creators into some technology super force that will transform governance in a miraculous manner. I even read an article recently that compared Aadhaar to some revolution and quoted a 1930s historian, Will Durant.Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Rajya Sabha MP

“I know you will say that it is not mandatory. But, it is compulsorily mandatorily voluntary,” Jairam Ramesh, Rajya Saba April 2017.

August 24, 2017: The nine-judge Constitution Bench rules that right to privacy is “intrinsic to life and liberty”and is inherently protected under the various fundamental freedoms enshrined under Part III of the Indian Constitution

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the World; indeed it's the only thing that ever has"

“Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.” -Edward Snowden

In the Supreme Court, Meenakshi Arora, one of the senior counsel in the case, compared it to living under a general, perpetual, nation-wide criminal warrant.

Had never thought of it that way, but living in the Aadhaar universe is like living in a prison. All of us are treated like criminals with barely any rights or recourse and gatekeepers have absolute power on you and your life.

Announcing the launch of the # BreakAadhaarChainscampaign, culminating with events in multiple cities on 12th Jan. This is the last opportunity to make your voice heard before the Supreme Court hearings start on 17th Jan 2018. In collaboration with @no2uidand@rozi_roti.

UIDAI's security seems to be founded on four time tested pillars of security idiocy

1) Denial

2) Issue fiats and point finger

3) Shoot messenger

4) Bury head in sand.

God Save India

Saturday, October 3, 2015

8800 - Aadhaar now most widely held ID with 92cr holders - TNN


Rajeev Deshpande,TNN | Oct 2, 2015, 01.45 A

NEW DELHI: The Aadhaar card is now the most widely held identification document in the country with a voluntary enrolment of 92 crore people. It is also perhaps the sole ID for many of its holders, including many families below the poverty line. 

In comparison, 5.7 crore people have passports, 17 crore people PAN cards, 60 crore voter ID cards, 15 crore ration cards and 17.3 crore driving licences. 

Aadhaar has helped effect savings of Rs 2,600 crore by eliminating bogus claims in welfare schemes besides engendering greater transparency and consequently reducing corruption, reports from states and Union Territories show. 

It is also delivering benefits in progarmmes tailored for the poor like MNREGA where 3 crore of 9 crore active workers have Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. One crore wage transactions have been remitted and the process has become more efficient and transparent with 87,000 banking correspondents providing village and neighbourhood-level micro ATM services. 


If a legal order restricts use of the Aadhaar gateway — the Supreme Court is currently scrutinising it — many sections such as MNREGA workers will be affected. Various pension schemes with over 2.5 crore beneficiaries have some 54 lakh accounts linked to Aadhaar with 64 lakh transactions completed, accounting for Rs 507 crore. The government is keen that the court allow the principle of voluntary use of Aadhaar for a host of services other than LPG, PDS and kerosene. The court has currently restricted Aadhaar to the three schemes. 

Quick credit and hassle-free withdrawal as there is no need to travel to a bank are significant savings for. MNREGA workers, particularly women who have to forego household responsibilities and daily earnings to travel to a bank in remote areas. In conservative societies, the problem is compounded as women are not able to travel alone and may have to be accompanied by male relative. 

The PM Jandhan Yojana which permits opening of zero balance accounts without documentation that poor beneficiaries often lack aims at broadening financial inclusion. Over 17 crore accounts have been opened and of these over 7 crore or 41% individuals have presented the UID as proof of identity to access banking services. 


The Aadhar infrastructure will be vastly under-utilised if it is restricted to just a handful of schemes, making it a waste of public money. Even with a partial application, states have reported large savings, weeding out bogus claimants like benefits drawn in the name of dead persons, or duplicate claims like names existing in other job cards and money taken in the name of an absent person. 

Aadhar is particularly crucial for BPL families who are the primary beneficiaries of PMJDY and three pensions schemes run by the Centre — Atal Pension Yojana, PM Suraksha Bima Yojana and PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana --are linked to UID. The schemes, according to official sources, are intended to provide a wide coverage by way of insurance with small premiums, flagged by the government as a key policy goal. 

With Rs 12 a year as premium, an insured person is entitled to a coverage of Rs 2 lakh and with an Aadhar linkage, the claims can be directly transferred to bank accounts with middle men being cut out of the picture while transfers become faster. The process cuts down the government's administrative costs as well, making the schemes more economically viable and opening banking to many who have been deprived of the services. 


The elderly will not be required to visit banks for proof that they exist in order to draw benefits. There are over 1.5 crore pensioners and the Jeevan Praman scheme dispenses with the need for personal appearances using the Aadhar identity and some 3.2 lakh retired persons have used the facility. 

Online registration for out-patient services and operations of the Employees' Provident Fund Organization have also become an easier task with the Aadhar linkage with PF accounts providing a life-long universal access number allowing access to funds and transactions across locations and. At present, over 87 lakh persons have linked Aadhar to their UAN.