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

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

10340 - Narendra Modi steadily improving his reforms scorecard - Live Mint

Last Modified: Wed, Aug 17 2016. 03 55 AM IST



Recent set of reforms are important institutional changes for the long run


Narendra Modi needs to start working on the next set of reforms that may get executed only after 2019. Illustration: Jayachandran/Mint

No Narendra Modi speech is complete without a spattering of alliterative tricks, rhetorical flourishes and strange acronyms that would make a management consultant proud. These are admired and mocked in equal measure.

During his speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Monday, the prime minister said that his mantra was to “reform, perform and transform”. He gave an impressive list of achievements to back his claim. For example, easier access to government services, faster approvals of new business enterprises, reducing the stranglehold of middlemen over the appointment of new entrants into government jobs at the lower levels, less harassment of taxpayers by officials, and much more.

This was Modi at his best. His ability as a good administrator is widely recognized. His personal popularity has also given him the political capital to take tough decisions rather than compulsively pander to electoral populism. All but his worst critics will agree that corruption at the very pinnacle of government has been curtailed. In other words, a lot of the focus has been—in terms of the mantra to reform, perform and transform—on performance.

There has been less confidence about the ability of the Modi government to reform—not to work more efficiently within the existing rules of the game but to actually alter the rules of the game. Yet, the record on this front actually looks far better than six months ago, and has perhaps not been adequately appreciated. Since the beginning of the year, the Modi government has pushed through several landmark changes that can be game-changers.

First, the new monetary policy framework legally binds Indian monetary policy to a formal inflation target. Second, the passage of the Aadhaar Bill creates a unique opportunity to ensure that welfare schemes reach the people they are meant to help. Third, the bankruptcy law deals with what has been called the problem of capitalism without exit. Fourth, the introduction of a goods and services tax will radically overhaul the indirect tax system, make it less distortionary and help create a common market across the country. Fifth, a committee has begun work on a new fiscal law that should reduce the perverse tendency of running a pro-cyclical fiscal policy.

These are significant achievements. Some of them do not fit in with the idea of big-bang reforms that the stock markets love or business interests lobby for. They do not have the sex appeal of a tax cut or an increase in foreign investment limits. What we have seen in recent months are important institutional changes whose impact will be truly felt in the long run. They can alter the dynamics of economic growth, macroeconomic policy and the welfare system.

There is a problem, however. A lot of the preparatory work for these legal reforms began under the previous regime led by Manmohan Singh. The baton was then passed to the current government.

There is nothing wrong in such continuity. Deep institutional change needs long years of work that spans multiple regimes. Even the terms of reference for the 14th Finance Commission were set before Modi became prime minister. The National Democratic Alliance has shown maturity in staying the course, despite some early doubts in the case of Aadhaar.

What now? Modi needs to get his public policy advisers to work on the next set of reforms that may eventually see the light of day only after 2019. These include financial sector reforms, liberalizing the factor markets, getting the education system back on track, deep fiscal reforms that create space for a massive increase in the supply of public goods, and lots more. There is also the need to build state capacity. The groundwork for the road ahead has to begin soon.

How does Modi’s reforms scorecard look today? Tell us at views@livemint.com