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

Friday, June 24, 2016

10147 - PLUGGING FOR THE POOR IN A WELFARE STATE - Daily Pioneer

Wednesday, 15 June 2016 | Uttam Gupta | in Oped

The Modi Government has sought to plug the leakages in the welfare delivery mechanism. It must now sustain the momentum to achieve double-digit growth rates

Three decades ago, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi estimated that only 15 paise out of every rupee meant for the poor actually reached them because of leakages in the delivery system. This was a tacit admission that brazen loot of public money was happening but nothing was being done to curb it. Successive political establishments happily recalled the statement but never introspected on its seriousness.

In his two years in office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi not only analysed the modus operandi of how the resources meant for the poor was being misappropriated, but also galvanised the entire Government machinery to stem the rot. The outcome of team Modi's efforts, especially in key areas of subsidy on LPG, food under the public distribution system (PDS), kerosene, pension and payments under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) are there for all to see. All of these point towards immense opportunities for garnering huge savings, badly needed to fulfil the bare minimum needs of the poor.

Using the Aadhaar-based system for direct benefit transfer ( wherein subsidy is directly credited to the beneficiary's bank account, duly authenticated with Aadhaar number), the Government has identified ‘bogus’ beneficiaries and excluded them from the ambit of welfare schemes. In LPG, a whopping 35 million bogus beneficiaries have been weeded out, leading to a saving of Rs21,672 crore (Rs14,672 crore during 2014-2015 and Rs7,000 crore during 2015-2016).

In food, 16 million bogus ration cards were identified in Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Puducherry and Delhi alone. By stopping the release of subsidised food on these cards, the Government saved about Rs10,000 crore. Likewise, weeding out duplicates under MGNREGA resulted in a saving of Rs3,000 crore during 2014-2015. Leakages in scholarships and pension schemes in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh also plugged savings to the tune of Rs2,000 crore.

All put together, the Government saved Rs36,500 crore. This is just the tip of an iceberg. When wholesome coverage all-over India is achieved, savings will be mammoth. According to officials, putting PDS and MGNREGA payments under Aadhaar-based system alone will save about Rs100,000 crore. And these savings will accrue every year.

These savings are 0.8 per cent of India's gross domestic product (about two trillion dollars). Thus, by eliminating bogus beneficiaries, during the current year, the Government can achieve fiscal deficit of 2.7 per cent against a target of 3.5 per cent. For 2017-2018, it can touch 2.2 per cent as against the three per cent target — as per its fiscal consolidation roadmap. This will have unprecedented beneficial effect on the economy by way of low inflation, lower interest rates, higher sovereign rating and more of foreign direct investment.

Second, savings can be used to increase coverage for the poor under welfare schemes. Modi has amply demonstrated this in the case of LPG. By leveraging exclusion of 35 million bogus connections and another over 10 million households surrendering under ‘Give It Up’ campaign, the Government provided connections to 30 million poor households. Another 50 million will be covered in the next three years.

The same approach is being adopted for kerosene wherein in Haryana alone, 600,000 bogus connections were stopped and more will follow as direct benefit transfer has begun (in select districts). This will be good for the environment as well as for kerosene which is being diverted for mixing with diesel adding to pollutants in the air.

A third positive spin-off will be increased availability of resources for investment in infrastructure viz, roads (including rural roads), highways, ports, railways etc. For building infrastructure to the required level, the country needs an investment of one trillion dollar (equivalent to half of India's GDP) of which 50 per cent has to be contributed by the Government. Savings by plugging leakages in subsidy pipes will come very handy to achieve this goal.

Finally, once the corruption money is released, the economic system is laundered producing all sorts of ill-effects. For instance, this money is used for hoarding food items and creating artificial scarcity. It goes for hoarding real estate/property leading to skyrocketting prices. In short, it can inflict serious damage in every sector. Most of it will stop once the leakages from welfare schemes are plugged.


Hopefully, the momentum will be sustained in the years to come; thus, laying a solid foundation for India to traverse on a double digit growth trajectory and ensure a decent living for the citizens.

10146 - Soon avail food grains under PDS items using biometric coupons - New Indian Express

By Express News Service
Published: 15th June 2016 04:38 AM


BENGALURU: The state will soon make biometric coupons mandatory for supply of food grains and other commodities under the Public Distribution System (PDS), said food and civil supplies minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Tuesday.
At present, only kerosene is distributed under the biometric coupon-based system, which is linked to a consumer’s Aadhaar card. The government’s move to bring food grains and other commodities under the coupon-based system is expected to reduce PDS goods being sold on the black market. Experts say the government’s decision to weed out bogus ration cards by linking Aadhaar numbers will save crores and will ensure that benefits reach the consumer.
Meanwhile, Union food and consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who visited Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown in Yeshwanthpur, a fair price shop, and a BangaloreOne office in Malleswaram, said the Centre will soon integrate FCI’s and Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd’s online tracking system to reduce pilferage of PDS commodities.  “The integration of these two tracking systems will prevent pilferage from godowns and fair price shops in an effective way,” said Paswan.
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    10145 - Government eyes empowering Digital Seva Kendras - Economic Times


    The NDA government is working towards strengthening the Common Service Centres, now renamed to Digital Seva Kendras to act as Internet Service Providers in India’s rural and remote areas.


    Muntazir Abbas  |  ETTelecom  |  15 June 2016, 4:34 PM IST


    NEW DELHI: The NDA government is working towards strengthening the Common Service Centres, now renamed to Digital Seva Kendras to act as Internet Service Providers in India's rural and remote areas.

    "We are making them (seva kendras) eligible as an extension of ISP (Internet Service Provider) so that they can further take an ISP license and go deep into rural hinterland as a service provider," Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters Wednesday.

    This, he said, is possible over the massive national fibre network BharatNet which aims to connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats across India.

    The telecom department has also directed BharatNet, an SPV implementing the National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) project to connect all Digital Seva Kendras on a priority basis with fibre-based telecom network.

    In the last two years, the number of such service centers has more than doubled to 199,325 currently, from 83,000 in 2014. The government, according to Prasad, aims to take this count to 250,000 by December 2016.

    With the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granting in-principle approval for CSCs to function as a Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU), the government expects the centers to act as tax and collection points besides bill payments in future.

    With RBI's license, various utility bills can be deposited at a Seva Kendra and subsequently post-paid bills of mobile phones, insurance and tax collection will be done as per consumers' convenience, he added.

    Prasad also said that the Digital Seva Kendra s have a potential to generate at least 2 lakh new job opportunities if it employs one individual at every such centre.

    The service centres, according to him, are doing a good job in the areas of delivering Aadhaar cards and passports, and e-ticketing, in addition to digital literacy, an d feels that banking and insurance business is vibrant.

    Ten percent , or 10.79 crore, Aadhaar cards have been delivered through Digital Seva Kendra till date.

    Prasad also added that the department is reviewing the telecom regulator Trai's request for penal powers and a structured response would be provided.

    After the Supreme Court verdict quashing the Trai's notification mandating compensation to consumers in the event of call drops in May this year, the regulator sought appropriate amendment in the Trai Act to include penal powers.

    A A


    10144 - Indian Authorities Implement Tablet-Based Biometric Attendance Tracking for Teachers - Find Biometrics

    Posted on June 14, 2016

    Authorities in the Zilla Panchayat, a district council in India, have implemented biometric time and attendance tracking for high school teachers under their jurisdiction.

    The system is, of course, linked to Aadhaar, the country’s biometric citizen ID program. In this case, it’s administrated via Android tablets equipped with thumb scanners. Teachers will have to register their Aadhaar credentials via a web portal, and will then scan their thumbs to sign in for work. The system will apply to non-teaching staff at the district schools, as well.
    It’s another example of how India’s biometric ID program is being used to improve civil society, with Aadhaar also having been linked to time and attendance systems for government employees, and used in a range of other administrative purposes. It’s even starting to find important applications in India’s financial services sector, where citizens’ Aadhaar credentials are being linked to bank accounts and in some cases even replacing their banking cards at ATMs.

    In the case of the Zilla Panchayat’s high schools, officials are hopeful that the time and attendance tracking system will ultimately have positive outcomes for students, who generally stand to benefit from any potential improvements in the attendance of school staff.
    Source: The Hindu

    June 14, 2016 – by Alex Perala

    10143 - Modi’s Smart Welfare Hits States Roadblock Swarajya Staff - Swarajya


    June 15, 2016, 8:05 pm

    State governments are proving to be big impediment in Modi Government’s ambitious work of covering all National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers with Aadhaar cards and making sure that their payments are made through the Aadhaar-based payment bridge. The states ruled by the opposition parties in particular are among the big laggards, but some BJP-ruled states are not doing great either.

    The Economic Times (ET) report (14 June) says that many big states, especially those ruled by the opposition like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Karnataka, are set to miss the Centre’s July-end deadline of seeding all MGNREGA workers with Aadhaar cards.

    Last month, the central government had set an ambitious target of achieving 100 percent success in making all MGNREGA payments to the beneficiaries by direct bank transfer, after getting their consent. For this purpose, it directed the state governments to set up special camps. However, the results show that the state governments are failing. The ET report tabulates the performance of six big states. Here are its findings:

    West Bengal has 1.34 crore MGNREGA workers. Only seven percent (22 lakh) of them are receiving Aadhaar-based payments. Since 15 May, when the special camps were launched, Mamata Banerjee’s government has been able to get the consent of only 1.67 lakh workers.

    The situation is worse in Uttar Pradesh. It has 1.04 crore MGNREGA workers, but only five percent of them are receiving Aadhaar-based payments. The Akhilesh Yadav government could only register 1,178 workers in past one month.

    Karnataka fares relatively better in the number of MNREGA workers currently receiving direct payments through Aadhaar mode. The state has 61.25 lakh workers, with 26 percent of them receiving Aadhaar-based payments - a respectable figure compared to other states. But it has performed worse than even Uttar Pradesh in acquiring people’s consent during the camps. Only 528 people have enrolled so far, less than half the number that UP could manage.

    Bihar’s record in both the regular enrollment and on the latest drive is terrible. The state has 42.21 lakh MGNREGA workers. Only one percent of them are getting Aadhaar-based payments. Nitish Kumar’s government could enrol 3,674 workers in the camps since 15 May.

    Are only the non-BJP governments proving to be the laggards? Not by a long shot.

    In Madhya Pradesh, out of the 90.84 lakh MGNREGA workers, only 12 percent (10.63 lakh) are getting Aadhaar-based payments. The state has managed to add just 18,364 workers in the past month.

    Gujarat’s record is slightly better, but not satisfactory. The Anandiben Patel’s government was able to enrol 41,340 more workers. This is certainly much higher than what others have accomplished; besides, it only has 18.39 lakh workers under MNREGA program. However, only 8 percent of them (1.39 lakh) are receiving Aadhaar-based payments, which is same as in other poorly performing states.

    Weeding out duplicate beneficiaries and eliminating middleman are key to ending big-ticket corruption in these kind of schemes. The Prime Minister cannot drag the country through this ‘smart welfare’ revolution if the states refuse to do the heavy lifting.
    Unless the states cooperate, the JAM Trinity (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) will fail. We cannot afford such failures.

    10142 - Essential Documents That You Must Have - Business Today

    Essential Documents That You Must Have

    Apart from proving your identity, these documents have other benefits that you may not know about. Read on to find out.

    • Delhi,  June 15, 2016   |  
    Gone are the days when you needed your identity proof documents on just a few occasions. Today, you might be asked for your Aadhaar card or PAN card while paying hotel bills or for purchasing a car or jewellery. The financial consequences of not having these documents could be significant.

    For instance, apart from being an identity proof, several benefits have been linked to Aadhaar card, such as getting online appointment for marriage/birth certificate. So, don't think that just because you are not a beneficiary of direct benefit transfer, you do not need to have one.

    Hitesh Singla, Principal Partner, Square Yards, says: "Registration of sale deeds is being withheld in some state registrar offices without Aadhaar cards despite the Supreme Court ruling that the card cannot be linked with essential services."

    N. K. Prasad, President & CEO, CAMS (Computer Age Management Services), says: "Mutual fund penetration, especially in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, can be accelerated with Aadhaar-based e-KYC. Investors can now have a complete digital experience with Aadhaar based e-KYC and seamlessly invest in Mutual Funds." Here is the low down on what essential documents you should have and what they do.

    AADHAAR CARD 


    Issued by: Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Government of India
    Purpose: Verification of identity
    What is Aadhaar card? Aadhaar is a 12-digit number code used for establishing identity on the basis of demographic and biometric information. It is equivalent to the social security number used in the US.
    AadhaAr Usages: e-KYC: It can be used for instant e-KYC for online investment in mutual funds and purchase of insurance. SEBI, however, permits investment of only `50,000 in a financial year through Aadhaar-based e-KYC using one-time password on mobile for authentication.
    Online Income tax return (ITR) submission: You can e-verify your ITR form provided your mobile number is registered in the Aadhaar card database.
    Passport: You can get a fresh passport within 10 days by submitting the Aadhaar card along with a copy of the electoral photo identity card and the PAN card.
    Digital Locker: Now you can store all your important documents such as marksheets and PAN card in a digital locker (https://digilocker.gov.in). For uploading documents you only need a mobile number, but by seeding your Aadhaar with your digital locker you can pull out documents from the issued section of the website.
    Digital Life certificate for pensioners: A digital certificate is generated through Aadhaar-based biometric authentication of the pensioner, which gets stored in the Life Certificate Repository.

    DRIVING LICENCE 




    Issued by: Regional Transport Office
    Purpose: It certifies that a person is qualified to drive a vehicle. Also serves as identity and address proof.
    What is driving licence? It is issued by individual states through their regional transport offices. For gearless motorcycles, the minimum age for getting a licence is 16. For other type of vehicles it is 18 years.
    Insurance claim: The insurance company can reject your claim if you were driving without a licence.

    PAN CARD



    Issued by: Income Tax Department
    Purpose: Used for tracking financial transactions.
    What is PAN card? Permanent Account Number, or PAN, is a 10-digit alphanumeric number used for tracking your financial transactions (income, investments as well as big spendings). Here are the transactions where PAN card is required.
    TDS: Banks can withhold tax at a higher rate of 20 per cent if you do not provide your PAN. Only 10 per cent is deducted if the bank has your PAN details.
    Buying property: PAN is mandatory for buying and selling immovable property in India. NRIs can also easily buy property or engage in business in India with the help of PAN card without filing tax returns.
    MANDATORY QUOTING OF PAN
    • For buying all goods or services over Rs2 lakh, including gold
    • During purchase/sale of immovable property exceeding Rs10 lakh
    • For mobile wallet transactions of more than Rs50,000
    • For opening a bank account, except Jan Dhan account
    • For hotel/restaurant bill payments above Rs50,000
    • Cash deposit in bank exceeding Rs50,000 in a single day
    • For purchase of foreign currency or cash payment related to foreign travel exceeding Rs50,000
    • Over Rs50,000 investment in mutual funds/debentures/RBI bonds/life insurance policy
    • For opening a demat account
    • Business or profession where total sales, turnover or gross receipts exceed or are likely to exceed Rs5 lakh
    • The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority has started using PAN apart from Aadhaar for for online registration under National Pension System
    • PAN is also mandatory for buying or selling motor vehicles (other than two-wheelers)
    PASSPORT


    Issued by: Ministry of External Affairs
    Purpose: Passport is needed for travelling abroad. It also serves as identity and residence proof.
    Photo identity: It is a proof of identity, has your birth date, as well as residential address. It takes care of most of your requirements.
    Visa-Free travel: Many countries allow visa-on-arrival such as Thailand or visa-free travel such as Nepal if you have a valid passport.
    Unlike other documents you need to renew both passport and driving licence periodically.

    VOTING CARD




    Issued by: The Election Commission
    Purpose: It makes you eligible to vote during elections.
    Proof of Identity: The main purpose is voting. It is also used as identity and residence proof. ~~

    For more news from Business Today, follow us on Twitter @businesstoday and on Facebook at facebook.com/BusinessToday For news and videos in Hindi, go to AajTak.in

    10141 - MobiKwik launches eKYC; real time upgrade now possible with Aadhaar card - Financial Express


    MobiKwik,the largest independent mobile payments company in India has launched eKYC for its users. eKYC is RBI approved, paperless process for fulfilling KYC requirements, that will allow MobiKwik users to upgrade their wallet with Aadhar card in real time.

    By: Newsvoir | Published: June 15, 2016 5:26 PM

    Speaking on the announcement, Mrinal Sinha, Chief Operating Officer, MobiKwik said, This launch further simplifies the wallet experience for our users and they can now avail benefits of a KYC account within half an hour.

    MobiKwik,the largest independent mobile payments company in India has launched eKYC for its users. eKYC is RBI approved, paperless process for fulfilling KYC requirements, that will allow MobiKwik users to upgrade their wallet with Aadhar card in real time. Once a user requests eKYC on the app, a company representative will reach the user location within 30 minutes and do real time wallet upgrade.

    UIDAI e-KYC service enables KYC process to be performed electronically with explicit authorization by resident. As part of the e-KYC process, the resident authorizes UIDAI (through Aadhaar authentication using biometric/iris) to provide their demographic data along with their photograph (digitally signed and encrypted) to service providers.
    eKYC revolutionizes mobile wallet upgrades as its paperless, consent based and the safest way to upgrade. We are confident that most of our users will find this service exceptionally useful.Mrinal added.

    *The service is being launched in Delhi NCR this week and will be available to MobiKwik users, pan India in a few weeks.

    AboutMobiKwik
    MobiKwik,is Indias largest independent mobile payments network, connecting 30 million users with 100,000 retailers. Founded in 2009 by Bipin Preet Singh and UpasanaTaku, the company has raised three rounds of funding from Sequoia Capital, American Express, Tree Line Asia, MediaTek, GMO Payment Gateway and Cisco Investments.MobiKwikaspires to be the largest source of digital transactions in India.

    One of the leading digital payments platforms for online and offline merchants,MobiKwikis powering payments for IRCTC, Uber, Meru Cabs, Big Bazaar, OYO Rooms, Zomato, PVR, Archies, WHSmith India, BookMyShow, Grofers, Big Basket, Dominos, Burger King, Pizza Hut, eBay, ShopClues, Myntra, Jabong, Pepperfry, Barista, Food Panda, nearbuy, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Louis Phillips, GoDaddy, MakeMyTrip, Cleartrip, and Yatra.

    10140 - Soon, you’ll need Aadhaar card for police complaint - TNN

    Soon, you’ll need Aadhaar card for police complaint
    Mohammed Akhef | TNN | Jun 14, 2016, 11.20 PM IST

    Aurangabad: Soon, you will need an Aadhaar card or Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) number to lodge a complaint with the police. Till date the police would collect details and address proof of only the accused and criminals on record but now police across the state have started seeking Aadhaar cards from complainants too. 

    The authorities said it will help the police bridge the communication gap, if any, with the complainant. 

    State director-general of police Praveen Dixit told TOI, "The move is aimed at having flawless information about the complainant and it would go a long way in helping police assist complainants till their case reaches the logical end." 

    "The UIDAI had claimed that 99% of the state's population is covered by Aadhaar, that is why we have decided to take advantage of it," he added. 

    UIDAI, the flagship programme of the UPA government launched in 2009, was aimed at plugging leaks in passing on benefits of government schemes to beneficiaries. It has already crossed the 100-crore mark. The Aadhaar is being accepted and used for various purposes, including photo identity and address proof of the holder.

    A senior police officer said, "Till date, except police, almost government agencies and departments working in the public domain would seek the identity proof of people availing of their services but this is the first time that the police would be making it mandatory for the complainant to produce his Aadhaar card or provide the Aadhaar number." 

    Top Comment
    no thanks for making everything more complicated and pricey
    Ayesha Ramjoo

    Officials clarified that police would not turn away a complainant if he does not have a UIDAI card but will motivate them to use it, before making it compulsory.

    Senior officials said the move is being implemented across the state on a low scale and police are not forcing complainants to get a UIDAI card, if they do not have one.


    10139 - Aadhaar & Fingerprint Based ATM Launched by DCB Bank; No Need for Card or PIN! - TRAC.In

    Last updated: June 14, 2016 at 19:23 pm


    Very soon you might not need to carry your Debit card or remember your PIN to withdraw cash from an ATM Machine. DCB Bank has launched Bangalore’s first Aadhaar & Fingerprint (Biometric) based ATM machine in Bangalore. Anyone can withdraw cash from this ATM without needing to have their ATM or Debit card and PIN number.

    DCB Bank had, in April, piloted India’s first Aadhaar based ‘Cardless & PINless’ ATM in Mumbai. Now, after the successful pilot, Aadhaar based ATM has been launched in Bangalore by hands of Nandan Nilekani, former Chairman of UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India).

    However, currently only DCB Bank customers will be able to use this facility and it has not been opened for other bank customers.

    DCB plans to aggressively increase the number of such ATMs across the country – they will upgrade all their 400 plus ATM machines to provide Aadhaar based functionality within next 6 months. DCB has  201 branches across 18 states and 2 UTs in India.
    DCB Bank Chairman Nasser Munjee said, “Bengaluru is an important centre for us…. These ATMs are testimony to our commitment to invest in customer facing technology and promote a new way of banking,”
    Will Other Banks Follow?
    The important question is whether other leading private banks and PSU banks follow this route? While none of the banks have made any official announcements as yet – it is expected that most banks will have it in their pipeline.
    The positive thing is that crores of citizens are linking their Aadhaar card with their bank accounts for direct benefit transfers. Although Government has not made it mandatory for citizens to link Aadhaar card with Banks, various DBT schemes launched by Government are ensuring that citizens do it on their own accord.
    Also, Banks are pushing their customers to use Aadhaar as their primary know-your-customer (KYC) document, without making it mandatory. All these steps are make sure that majority of customers have their cards linked.
    On the other hand, Aadhaar based ATMs have potential to reduce lot of problems that banks face. Aadhaar and biometric based authentication will definitely increase the transactions as customers will not need to have their ATM/Debut cards along with them. Also, many customers forget their PIN numbers quite often, leading to hassle to customers as well as bank as they need to keep re-issuing it again and again.

    We will have to wait and see how soon other Banks jump the gun, but it won’t be long before we will see it happening! In our view new age payments banks like Paytm may do it much faster than others!

    10138 - Linking all benefits to Aadhaar and Jan Dhan Yojana will save Rs 1 lakh crore from bogus claims: Nitin Gadkari - Economic Times

    By PTI | Jun 14, 2016, 06.14 PM IST
    Post a Comment


    The government is trying to stamp out bogus beneficiaries, given instances of fake claims in scholarships, pension, gas subsidies and other such schemes.

    NEW DELHI: Weeding out ghost beneficiaries would help save the exchequer to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore annually by linking pension, subsidy and scholarship to Jan Dhan Yojna and Aadhar, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said. 

    "If bogus claims are removed from scholarships, pension, subsidies, ration cards and other schemes and these are linked to Jan Dhan Yojna and Aadhar, it will result in savings of Rs 1 lakh crore to the exchequer," the Road Transport and Highways Minister said at an event here. 

    The government is trying to stamp out bogus beneficiaries, given instances of fake claims in scholarships, pension, gas subsidies and other such schemes. 

    He regretted that "cylinders are diverted to restaurants and five-star hotels" under gas subsidy. 

    Bank accounts in Jan Dhan Yojna, according to the minister, have swelled to 21.80 crore, from a meagre 3.5 crore, and these should be linked to all subsidies and benefits. 

    Citing an example, he said the Shipping Ministry recently issued a directive asking for linkage of all pension accounts in ports to Jan Dhan Yojna. 

    Terming the results as "astounding", Gadkari said "only 82 per cent people in Kolkata port took pension and 18 per cent did not turn up. It was found that fake claims were done in the name of people whose ages were shown as 103 years and 104 years. You can imagine what must be happening". 

    In some cases, family members of beneficiaries aged over 110 years were found to be drawing money on their behalf, the minister added. 


    Besides, 4,000 beneficiaries have not been able to submit their "life certificates" to banks.

    Wednesday, June 15, 2016

    10137 - A beating heart for faster money access - Live Mint


    Banks are working on biometric verification, such as fingerprint and voice recognition, to make banking safer

    Vivina Viswanathan


    Let’s say you need to log in to your bank account, withdraw cash from an ATM or transfer money to someone. How do you complete the transaction? 

    Mostly by entering your personal identification number (PIN) or password, depending on the type of transaction. What if you don’t have to enter a PIN or password? 

    What if you can access your online banking using a wearable device that reads your heart beat? 

    Everyone’s heartbeat is unique. And taking advantage of this unique identity feature, Toronto-based biometric and authentication technology company, Nymi, is experimenting with wearables. Here you can wear a wristband that transmits signals and identifies you as a user allowing you to bank online account. “In the coming year, biometric and authentication solutions are going to be the big changes in the financial services space. For me, the most interesting one is heart beat monitoring. You can simply measure it by wearing a device. Right now (being) experimented in Canada, this (technology) will become prevalent as it is secure and frictionless,” said 

    Warren Mead, partner, global co-lead-fintech, KPMG Llp.
    It may be too early to experience heart beat monitoring as a way to access your banking account in India, but Indian banks are slowly gearing up to use biometric technology in banking activities. Mint Money takes a look at the evolving cyber security space in banking.

    The regulatory push
    Globally, financial institutions are considered as one of the most vulnerable to cyber-attacks. In India, the use of technology for financial services has grown rapidly. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on 2 June, directed banks to immediately frame cybersecurity policies approved by their respective boards where the policies should discuss strategy, acceptable levels of risks and appropriate approaches to combat cybersecurity threats. “The policy should focus on aspects such as setting up security operations centres for continuous surveillance and management of cyber threats and protection of customer information,” the central bank noted in its statement. Banks have been asked to send a confirmation to RBI regarding setting up such a policy, by 30 September. Banks are also required to conduct an immediate study of any major gaps in preparedness against cyberattacks, propose measures to tackle them, check effectiveness of the proposed measures and set milestones with timelines for implementing them.


    Moving to biometric
    According to a KPMG report, FinTech in India-A global growth story, leading private sector banks are introducing innovative technologies to make banking more secure. Since securing an account with a powerful authentication tool is one of the important steps, globally, banks are working on technologies capable of using a customer’s unique characteristics for identity authentication. “The pressing need for financial institutions to deploy biometric technologies and adopt cybersecurity solutions is evident by the fact that the global cybersecurity market invested about $75 billion in 2015, which is expected to reach $175 billion by 2020,” notes Neha Punater, partner, management consulting, KPMG, in the report.

    But why are banks looking at biometric? “Digitisation in banking is leading to a significant amount of data being generated. Banks need to speedily develop a strategic framework and policy mechanism to help ensure data security as well as promote the use of biometric technologies to prepare for future cyber-attacks,” Punater notes in the report.

    Currently, some Indian banks are using fingerprint recognition and voice recognition.

    Fingerprint recognition: In India, the use of fingerprint identification is linked to Aadhaar. In April, DCB Bank Ltd had launched a service using which you can withdraw cash from ATMs without your card and PIN. Your Aadhaar should be linked to your bank account. To use this facility, you have to enter your Aadhaar number and authenticate it with your fingerprint to withdraw cash. DBS Bank recently also launched a mobile banking app using which you can open a bank account by authenticating your fingerprint at a biometric device. Meanwhile, HDFC Bank Ltd is working on a similar product with FingPay of Tapits Technologies Pvt. Ltd, on biometric authentication at point-of-sale terminals. With this service, you can enter your Aadhaar number and scan your finger at the merchant’s outlet to make a payment.

    Voice recognition: Bigger private sector banks such as ICICI Bank Ltd and HDFC Bank are also working on using voice recognition technology to authenticate customers based on their speech patterns. Last year, ICICI Bank had launched a voice recognition service. A person’s voice is identified based on parameters such as modulation, accent, diction and intonation. At the back end, the bank takes your voice print and authenticates it. The next time you have to ‘login’, your voice sample is compared with the one in the bank’s database. The customer needs to call from her registered mobile phone so that the voice recognition system can identify her. Industry experts say that HDFC Bank is also planning to launch a similar feature in the next 4-6 months.

    What fintech companies can offer to banks
    Besides working with information technology companies, banks are also closely working with financial technology (fintech) companies to help curb cyber fraud. For example, CustomerXPs, a company that provides fraud management solution for banks, works with banks to protect them and their customers from fraud by giving real-time analysis. “As a customer, you can interact with a bank through multiple channels, which means that fraud can happen through multiple channels,” said Rivi Varghese, chief executive officer, CustomerXPs Software Pvt. Ltd. Say, if a transaction happens on your credit card from Greece, and just minutes before it you withdraw cash in Mumbai through an ATM, the bank should be able to link with other channels to stop or trace this transaction. “If the bank works in isolation, it will not be able to link the two (transactions). However, if the bank has a view of all your transactions, it can prevent the fraud based on your transaction behaviour,” he added.

    What should you do?
    Banks are using various tools to tackle cyber fraud. However, as a customer, you too need to be careful. Currently, biometric technology for identification and authentication is not as widely used as PIN and password. So, never share your password or PIN with anyone. Change your passwords frequently and never use the same password for all websites. If you use banking apps, install them only from the authorised app store. If you use Internet banking, enable anti-virus and malware protection softwares. Use virtual cards for online transactions.
    “Biometric is still at a nascent stage because initially the investment on technology was huge and the error rate was high. However, technology has evolved now and banks have started using biometric,” said Amit Jaju, executive director, cyber forensics, data analytics, software licence forensics, EY.
    It may be a while before banks deploy biometric technology in a big way in India. But when it happens, your transactions will become more secure. Till then, you are your own security. Follow the simple steps mentioned earlier to keep your money safe.

    10136 - Fine for substandard goods hiked to 1 cr - TNN

    TNN | Jun 14, 2016, 02.07 AM IST

    Bengaluru : The Centre has increased the penalty for supplying substandard consumer goods from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1 crore, said Union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday. 

    With the amendment to the Consumer Protection Act, aggrieved consumers can approach the district sessions court to file complaints which can levy a fine up to Rs 1 crore. At the state-level, the court can levy penalty up to Rs 10 crore on individuals and companies who have violated consumer rights, Paswan said.

    The government has decided to import pulses to address acute shortage in the country, he added. 

    Minister of state for food and civil supplies Dinesh Gundu Rao said the government will announce a rewards scheme to check black marketeering and the menace of fake ration cards. The scheme will be implemented after completion of mapping of ration cards with Aadhaar numbers. June 30 is the last date for submitting Aadhaar card numbers to the department.

    He said the government will offer Rs 400 to citizens giving information on every fake ration card and five per cent of the value of foodgrains which have been hoarded in the black market.


    10135 - Get your APL card online by just feeding Aadhaar number - Deccan herald


    The Karnataka government will soon roll out an online system for issuing ration cards for Above Poverty Line (APL) families.

    Disclosing this to the media, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said citizens will be able to generate their own ration cards after filling an online form. Only Aadhaar number has to be disclosed and there is no need for any other documents under the new system, he added.

    The department is still working on the new system, and it will in, all probability, be introduced in a month’s time. Currently, the department is supplying five kg rice and wheat each at a subsidised rate to the APL card holders every month.

    On a proposal to supply tur dal and urad dal at Rs 120 per kg to people, the minister said the Centre has not allocated sufficient quantity of these pulses to the state.

    The state has been given 1,000 metric tonnes.

    “An estimated 10,500 metric tonnes is required per month to supply one kg of tur and urad dal per ration card under the public distribution system (PDS). We will take up the offer if the Centre allocates at least 5,000 metric tonnes per month,” he added.

    The Centre recently offered to supply unmilled tur and urad dal to the state at Rs 66 and Rs 82 per kg respectively and asked to ensure availability of the pulses to people at not more than Rs 120 per kg. The Centre made this offer with an aim to give some relief to people from rising prices of pulses.

    The state has to bear the cost of processing (milling), packing and transportation and distribute to consumers at Rs 120 per kg.

    Rao said he will soon meet Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramvilas Paswan and urge him to increase the allocation to the state.
      

    10134 - Aadhaar enabled biometric attendance system introduced in Shivamogga govt. schools - The Hindu

    SHIVAMOGGA, June 14, 2016



    To keep a tab:District in-charge Minister Kimmane Ratnakar launching the tablet device for the Aadhaar Enabled biometric attendance system in Shivamogga on Monday.— Photo: VAIDYA


    The Zilla Panchayat has introduced Aadhaar enabled biometric attendance system (AEBAS) in government high schools across the district.

    The Zilla Panchayat has provided an Android-enabled tablet for each school in which the AEBAS application is installed. The head master of the respective school will be the custodian of the device. The tablet phones were handed over to the headmasters by Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education Kimmane Ratnakar in a programme held at Zilla Panchayat hall in the city on Monday. President of the Zilla Panchayat Jyoti Kumar, Vice-President Veda Vijakumar, and Chief Executive Officer Rakesh Kumar were present.
    Under AEBAS, the teachers should register with ktzpshivamogga.attendance.gov.in, the webportal of the Zilla Panchayat formed to monitor the attendance. After registration, a login ID and password would be provided for the user. The ID would be the first six or the last six digits of the Aadhaar number of the employee.
    After accessing the portal through the login ID, the attendance should be registered by entering the biometric information which will be authenticated by matching it with the data stored in the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) database. The biometric details, including thumb impression of the user, would be verified with the data stored in the UIDAI database. Narayana Gowda, Deputy Director, Department of Public Instruction, told presspersons here that the tablet device, battery charger, USB cable and a SIM card have provided to the headmasters. An instruction manual has also been provided.
    The working of AEBAS system would be monitored from the office of the National Informatics Centre on the premises of the Zilla Panchayat. The system has been adopted to ensure better monitoring of the attendance of teaching and non-teaching staff at government schools in the district. All the 16 government high schools in the district have been provided with the device.



    10133 - Opposition states like Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka fail to meet NREGA-Aadhaar linking target - Economic Times

    By Aman Sharma, ET Bureau | 14 Jun, 2016, 04.44AM IST


    Many big states, especially those ruled by the opposition, are set to miss Centre’s July-end deadline of seeding all their MGNREGA workers with Aadhaar.

    NEW DELHI: Many big states, especially those ruled by the opposition like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Karnataka, are set to miss the Centre's July-end deadline of seeding all their MGNREGA workers with Aadhaar and ensure wages are paid to them through Aadhaar-based Payment Bridge. 

    The consent of just 528 workers out of a balance 45 lakh workers in Karnataka could be taken so far in special camps that started on May 15 to ensure Aadhaar authenticated payment of wages and just 20 workers out of 15 lakh still awaiting an Aadhaar number enrolled for the same in the camps, the Centre has written to the Chief Secretary of Karnataka. 

    Identical letters have gone from Rural Development Secretary J.S. Mathur to all states on June 10, impressing upon them the deadline for the twin targets and stressing it be accorded "top priority". But the progress so far shows most big states, including Gujarat with only 8% workers covered under Aadhaar authenticated wage system so far, will miss the deadline. 

    ET was the first to report the Centre's big push to a 100% Aadhaar-based MGNREGA on May 17 through special camps by the states in the gram panchayats. States, however, do not seem to have warmed up to setting up these camps. 

    UP, which has 1.04 Cr MGNREGA workers, has nearly half of them seeded with an Aadhaar - the state has overall 71% Aadhaar saturation - but only 5% of workers in the state have given consent to get their wages through Aadhaar authentication and only 1178 workers have turned up for the same in camps in UP so far. 

    This figure is just 7% in West Bengal, which has maximum 1.34 Cr workers, and merely 1% in Bihar, the Centre has written to their respective state Chief Secretaries. Covering MGNREGA completely by an Aadhaar-authenticated payment system is a priority for the PMO as MGNREGA is the biggest subsidy payout at Rs 2500 Cr every month. 


    PM Narendra Modi has been stressing on savings under Direct Benefits Transfer, includingRs3000CrunderMGNREGA in 2014-15 by weeding out duplicate beneficiaries. "Ensuring all MGNREGA payments through Aadhaar authentication could increase savings much more. But consent of the worker is required to do the same. The states need to do more," a PMO official said.

    10132 - DCB Bank launches Aadhaar enabled ATM in Bengaluru - Economic Times

    By PTI | 13 Jun, 2016, 06.35PM IST

    BENGALURU: DCB Bank today launched Bengaluru's first ATM that accepts Aadhaar number and Aadhaar fingerprint (biometric) instead of ATM/Debit Card and PIN to dispense cash. 

    The "cardless and PIN less" ATM was launched by former Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, Nandan Nilekani

    Nilekani is the Chairperson and Co-founder of EkStep Foundation, a non-profit literacy organisation. 

    "I am delighted that DCB Bank is launching an Aadhaar based ATM in Bengaluru, the first such facility in the city. I am confident the ATM will provide Aadhaar holders a convenient way to withdraw cash," Nilekani said. 

    DCB Bank Chairman Nasser Munjee said, "Bengaluru is an important centre for us.... These ATMs are testimony to our commitment to invest in customer facing technology and promote a new way of banking," according to a Bank release. 

    In April 2016, the Bank pilot launched India's first aadhaar based ATM in Mumbai. This was followed by launch of Aadhaar based ATM in Odisha and Punjab. 

    The Bank plans to upgrade all its 400 plus ATMs to provide Aadhaar-based functionality in the next six months or so, the release said, adding, presently, only DCB Bank customers will be able to use this facility. 

    DCB Bank's branches in Bengaluru offer a range of banking products for micro business, small business, NRIs and individuals, including loans for individuals and business owners, the release said. 


    DCB Bank is new generation private sector bank with 201 branches across 18 states and two union territories, it noted.

    10131 - Bihar education department initiates 'Operation Clean Up' - Economic Times

    By PTI | 12 Jun, 2016, 07.51PM IST



    All the 228 B.Ed colleges will be probed. DMs and SPs have been asked to carry out a physical verification of these colleges," Education Minister Ashok Choudhary told reporters here.

    PATNA: In the wake of raging intermediate toppers scandal, Bihar's Education department has taken up the 'Operation Clean up' initiative as part of grand secular alliance government's agenda to provide "quality education" in the state. 

    "We (department) will be initiating 'Operation clean up' in order to maintain the standard of education in the state... We have received complaints regarding (private) B.Ed colleges with regard to their functioning. All the 228 B.Ed colleges will be probed. DMs and SPs have been asked to carry out a physical verification of these colleges," Education Minister Ashok Choudhary told reporters here. 

    Choudhary was speaking on the sidelines of 'World Day against Child Labour' event. 

    Both DMs and SPs will do a joint inspection of B.Ed colleges and submit a report giving details as what are the numbers of enrolled students and teachers besides infrastructure facilities and also whether regular classes are held, the minister said. 

    "We will ensure that quality in B.Ed course...And after it, we (department) will inspect 10+2, degree colleges and even coaching institutes in order to ensure whether or not norms laid down for imparting quality education is being adhered to...grand secular alliance government is committed to provide quality education," Choudhary said. 

    Amid the allegations that a single teacher has his name as faculty member in several colleges, he said the department has sought 'Aadhaar' (card) of the teachers appointed in these 228 colleges. 

    After the 'toppers scandal' was unearthed by the media last week, there have been reports of affiliated colleges and schools misusing government funds. PTI AR SUS Bihar education department initiates 'Operation Clean Up' 

    Patna, Jun 12 (PTI) In the wake of raging intermediate toppers scandal, Bihar's Education department has taken up the 'Operation Clean up' initiative as part of grand secular alliance government's agenda to provide "quality education" in the state. 

    "We (department) will be initiating 'Operation clean up' in order to maintain the standard of education in the state... We have received complaints regarding (private) B.Ed colleges with regard to their functioning. All the 228 B.Ed colleges will be probed. DMs and SPs have been asked to carry out a physical verification of these colleges," Education Minister Ashok Choudhary told reporters here. 

    Choudhary was speaking on the sidelines of 'World Day against Child Labour' event. 

    Both DMs and SPs will do a joint inspection of B.Ed colleges and submit a report giving details as what are the numbers of enrolled students and teachers besides infrastructure facilities and also whether regular classes are held, the minister said. 

    "We will ensure that quality in B.Ed course...And after it, we (department) will inspect 10+2, degree colleges and even coaching institutes in order to ensure whether or not norms laid down for imparting quality education is being adhered to...grand secular alliance government is committed to provide quality education," Choudhary said. 

    Amid the allegations that a single teacher has his name as faculty member in several colleges, he said the department has sought 'Aadhaar' (card) of the teachers appointed in these 228 colleges. 


    After the 'toppers scandal' was unearthed by the media last week, there have been reports of affiliated colleges and schools misusing government funds. 

    10130 - Banks told to give priority to Aadhaar seeding of accounts - The Hindu

    UDUPI, June 13, 2016



    The issue of Aadhaar seeding of bank accounts figured prominently at the District Level Review Meeting on Banking held at the Zilla Panchayat Hall here on Wednesday.
    Francis Borgia, Lead District Chief Manager, said that there had been seeding of Aadhaar numbers with 60 per cent of bank accounts in the district.

    Aadhaar seeding was a process in which Aadhaar numbers of account holders were included in the delivery database of service providers for enabling de-duplication of data. It provided Aadhaar-based authentication during service delivery. The objective of de-duplication was to clear the databases of any duplicate entries, he said.

    Priyanka Mary Francis, CEO of Zilla Panchayat, said that one person might more than one account or sometimes an account in four different branches. Hence, the Aadhaar seeding mostly remained at the same level, as only one bank account of a person is Aadhaar seeded and not others, she said.
    Mr. Borgia said that this problem could be solved if the banks asked their customers whether their account was Aadhaar seeded. Banks should take a letter from the account holders. This would go a long way in giving a near exact picture of the Aadhaar seeded accounts in the district, he said.
    S.S. Hegde, Regional Manager, Syndicate Bank, said that under the Kisan Credit Card scheme, there was an outstanding level of loans of Rs. 316 crore covering 34,948 card holders. As many as 22,391 credit-linked self-help groups (SHGs) in the district had outstanding loans to the tune of Rs. 433 crore.
    Banks had enrolled 1.82 lakh customers under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and 90,526 customers under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana (PMJJBY) and 6,805 customers under the Atal Pension Yojana, he said.




























    The representatives from various government departments presented their status reports on the implementation of various government and State-sponsored schemes including Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), PMSBY, and PMJJBY.
    Ms. Francis directed the departmental heads to encourage their staff to get included under the insurance schemes such as PMSBY and PMJJBY.

    Jayaprakash Narayan, Manager, Reserve Bank of India, Bengaluru, S. Ramesh, Assistant General Manager, NABARD, were present.

    Aadhaar numbers are included in the delivery database to enable de-duplication of data



    10129 - Engineer in pilot car cons many as IAS man - TNN


    TNN | Jun 12, 2016, 12.12 AM IST

    New Delhi: For engineering graduate Mukesh Shaw, changing job and donning new designations were the easiest of things. He first became a senior engineer with BHEL, then a CBI officer on deputation and finally chose to become an assistant director (IAS officer) with the ministry of home affairs. 

    Shaw's neighbours from his east Delhi colony said he would often travel in a Ciaz with a red beacon. Even a PSO could be seen accompanying him, they added. 

    However, his "joyride" came to an abrupt end last week when the crime branch raided his house and arrested him on charges of impersonation, cheating and forgery. 

    Originally from Odisha, Shaw (40) had allegedly duped many youths of crores of rupees on the pretext of offering them jobs with BHEL and CBI. He managed to remain elusive for some time but cops were on his trail when he chose to con a high-value target. 

    Joint commissioner (crime) Ravindra Yadav said that Shaw had duped a Delhi-based businessman of Rs 85 lakh on the pretext of getting him central government contracts as well as projects from private power companies. "Shaw, a qualified mechanical engineer, has been found involved in several cheating cases in Delhi, West Bengal, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. He was earlier arrested in Kolkata," Yadav added. 

    Shaw's sedan purportedly had "Govt of India" inscribed on it. There was also a fake sticker of MHA pasted on its windshield. 

    While the car has been impounded, forged ID cards and agreement papers of power companies were seized from him, said the police. DCP (crime) Bhisham Singh said that Shaw used to meet his "clients" at prominent hotels across India.

    Sunday, June 12, 2016

    10128 - Telecom companies to set up 60,000 towers to resolve call drop problems - Catch News



    Responding to the issue of call drop problems, Telecom Secretary JS Deepak on 10 June affirmed that companies will set up at least 60,000 towers and have committed Rs 12,000 crore to install these towers to improve service quality.

    After its earlier directive asking telecom firms to pay consumers for each dropped call was quashed by the Supreme Court, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) asked the government to amend laws to give it powers for imposing a fine up to Rs 10 crore on operators and a jail term of up to two years for their executives.

    Deepak said the government will "take a view" on TRAI's demand for more powers, but in his "personal opinion" a person cannot be sent to jail "for every call drop".

    He also asserted that the investment will be made in the next three months. While 100 mobile towers will be installed in Delhi under a 100-day action plan, especially in problematic areas, where the call drop rate is high.

    Representatives of all telecom operators, including Bharti Airtel chief for India and South Asia Gopal Vittal, Vodafone India head Sunil Sood, Idea Cellular CEO Himanshu Kapania and Reliance Jio Infocomm MD Sanjay Mashruwala, were present in the meeting.

    Each operator presented a 100-day plan for improving service quality and raised issues hampering improvement in the networks.

    The Telecom Secretary said that a review meetings with the industry will be conducted every quarter and added that they are likely to come up with guidelines for E-Know Your Customer norms linked with Aadhaar.

    "The e-KYC norm is in an advanced stage of approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs. We believe it will be in place very soon," Deepak said.

    According to the proposal, customers with Aadhaar number biometrics like finger prints will be scanned for verification and the SIM card will be activated immediately after authentication.
    The process is also expected to reduce fake connections in the country and reduce penalty burden on telecom operators apart from activating mobile connection in few minutes.
    --PTI
    First published: 11 June 2016, 11:32 IST

    10127 - Filing fresh KYC forms irks LPG consumers - TNN


    TNN | Jun 11, 2016, 06.35 AM IST

    Nashik: LPG companies have started sending messages to their consumers asking them to submit fresh know your client (KYC) forms to the distributors for getting subsidy, which has enraged the citizens. They have expressed anger over "repeating the exercise for no specific reason".

    "Such messages from petroleum companies are doing the rounds. Why should we do the same exercise which has already been done? There is no update and I still have not got my Aadhaar number. Why is it compulsory for me to issue fresh KYC?" questioned Anand Parmar, a resident of Pathardi Phata.

    Sources in the companies said even as the Supreme Court order still stands, they are trying to get their data updated at the same time.

    "Going by statistics, only 4% of the population in Nashik district does not have Aadhaar numbers. During the last six months, there has been very little or negligible update about Aadhaar numbers. The consumers have started presenting their numbers to the distributors as well as banks. This clearly shows that the consumers were not doing so on their own. However, those who still not have got Aadhaar numbers will not be deprived of their subsidies if they renew their KYC forms. It is not a tedious job," said an official.

    District supply officer Sarita Narke, however, said she was not authorised to stop or expedite the process. Narke said she has no idea about how many LPG consumers have complied with the Aadhaar number norm. "Since we have no role - supervising or monitoring - in the system, we are not aware of the issue. But we will look into it to ensure that the citizens do not suffer," the officer added.

    10126 - AADHAAR CONTROVERSY Six months after Rajasthan introduced it, only 45% beneficiaries used Aadhaar at ration shops - Scroll.In

    Published Yesterday · 09:00 am.   Updated Yesterday · 02:58 pm.

    Biometric machines failed to authenticate about 10%-15% of the drought-hit state’s one crore ration beneficiaries. But consumers have no recourse to redress.

    Image credit:  Anumeha Yadav

    Is Aadhaar, India's biometric-based identity number for residents, helping people access social schemes in a more convenient and transparent manner?

    The evidence from Rajasthan suggests otherwise.
    Six months after Rajasthan started using Aadhaar to authenticate beneficiaries seeking rations from its Public Distribution System, state officials say biometric authentication does not work for 10%-15% of the beneficiaries, most of whom do manual work on farms and construction sites.

    From December till May, of a total of over 98 lakh ration beneficiaries, only 44.4 lakh, or 45%, could get their rations after being verified by handheld biometrics-reading machines, shows Rajasthan government data accessed by Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, a grassroots group.

    Activists point out that while crops have failed because of a drought in the state, ration beneficiaries have to make repeated trips to ration shops each month and ultimately have to rely on the manual override feature to get the foodgrains they are entitled to.

    Authentication failure
    “The government claimed in the Supreme Court that Aadhaar will make welfare delivery faster and remove corruption,” said Nikhil Dey, an activist with Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan. “But Department of Information Technology and Communication figures shows that Aadhaar's untested biometric technology is not working well. In fact, it is adding to the hardship faced by people already facing hunger and starvation in drought-affected villages.”

    Dey added: “We request the state government to make this data public so there can be an honest assessment of it.”

    Dey was speaking at a public hearing on the “Right to Food and drought conditions” in Jaipur on Wednesday. He said that the state government needed to create grievance redressal mechanisms at the village and block levels because at present, beneficiaries do not know whom to approach when their biometric verification through Aadhaar did not work.

    In April, Scroll.in reported how there was unrest at ration shops in villages in Ajmer, and near the state capital Jaipur. 

    Beneficiaries faced recurring problems in accessing their ration entitlements under the new Aadhaar-based system. Moreover, there was no mechanism to compensate them for the months in which they were unable to get their foodgrain entitlements because of technological glitches, or other problems in the Aadhaar architecture.

    Network problems
    In December 2015, Rajasthan became the second state after Andhra Pradesh to distribute rations in all districts using Aadhaar’s biometric authentication. Under the new system, a ration beneficiary must place a finger on a machine, which uses the internet to match the individual’s fingerprints against data stored on the centralised Aadhaar database. Once the beneficiary’s identity is confirmed, the ration shop owner hands over the rations at the prescribed rate.

    At the public hearing, several people spoke about how they were denied their monthly entitlements of foodgrains under the new system, and did not have any recourse to redress.
    Hemraj Sahariya, in his twenties, had worked as a bonded labourer on the farm of a Sikh landowner in Baran district in southern Rajasthan till four years ago. After the previous government redistributed land and rehabilitated his family, Sahariya, who belongs to a particularly vulnerable tribe, started getting 35 kg of subsidised wheat a month under the National Food Security Act. But since April, after the biometrics-based distribution was introduced in Baran district, several Sahariya families like Hemraj's have not been able to get their complete food entitlements.

    “In Bhanwargarh, Khandela, Bakanpura and several other panchayats where Sahariyas were rehabilitated, Aadhaar identification does not work at all for 20 to 30 people in each village,” said Sahariya. “In some cases, when we put our fingers, the machine reads out 5 kg, 10 kg, or 15 kg as our entitlement. But we are entitled to 35 kg as per the government norms.”

    Gyarsi Bai Sahariya, in her fifties, said that crops had failed in previous years, and several families were facing distress in Shahbad and Kishanganj blocks, where 41 Sahariya tribals had died due to starvation in 2001, triggering a Public Interest Litigation for the Right to Food.

    Devli Bai, who traveled from Gaiya village in Udaipur, said that the biometrics machine did not recognise her fingerprints even once. “I cannot get ration from the machine even after I wash my hands three times with soap,” she said. “In my village, if 50 people queue up for rations in the morning, only 10 are able to get grains by the afternoon.”

    Shanti Bai, a social activist working in Transport Nagar basti in Jaipur, said that the machine failed to authenticate over a hundred people in the slum, either because their fingerprints did not match, or because their ration card and Aadhaar data had not been linked.

    Iris machines
    Hansraj Yadav, who is additional director, Unique Identification Authority of India, or UIDAI, the government agency that issues the Aadhaar numbers and controls the database, estimated that fingerprints authentication was not working for over one-tenth of the state's total beneficiaries.

    “We have recorded that fingerprints do not match for 10% to 15% ration beneficiaries,” said Yadav, explaining that this was because of errors while capturing fingerprints, as well as changes in fingerprints through cuts, abrasion etc.

    He added that in Andhra Pradesh, which also delivers rations after verification via the Aadhaar system, authentication did not work for 12% of those entitled to rations.

    An official from the department of information technology and communication, who is supervising the electronic Public Distribution System, said that only 45% of beneficiaries in the state could get their rations using handheld biometrics-reading machines. “We rolled out the use of Aadhaar in three phases beginning with seven districts in November,” he said. “The system was implemented in all districts only by April.”
    The official added: “We expect this figure to improve in the next few months and are educating panchayat functionaries on how to correctly put fingers on the machine, to wash hands before use, and to try and stick to using the mobile number registered in Aadhaar databases so that a one-time password may be sent for authentication in case fingerprints do not work.”
    Yadav of UIDAI said that learning from the Andhra Pradesh experience, the state was planning to install iris scanners “so that if fingerprints do not match, iris scans can be used to authenticate beneficiaries.”

    The Rajasthan government has already purchased iris scanners for 1,000 of the state's 25,000 ration shops as a pilot project.
    In districts like Baran and Rajsamand, where ration shop dealers had complained of connectivity problems, the government had provided additional high gain antennas to attach to the point of sale devices, said the official from the department of information technology and communication.


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