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

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

1163 - Allocation for NIA, BSF, CRPF, NATGRID goes up - Source "The Hindu"

NEW DELHI, February 28, 2011

VINAY KUMAR

The top counter-terrorism agency, National Investigation Agency (NIA), has got a budgetary allocation of Rs. 55.68 crore for 2011-12 to meet its expenses.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday, proposed to give the NIA Rs. 55.68 crore for the next fiscal, an increase of Rs. 16.33 crore from the last fiscal. The provision is for meeting the establishment related expenditure of NIA, which was established recently under the administrative control of Ministry of Home Affairs by an Act of Parliament.

The agency received Rs. 11.91 crore in 2009-10 under non-plan expenditure head as against Rs. 42.06 crore for the current fiscal. The NIA has been given the exclusive mandate to detect, prevent, investigate and prosecution of terrorism-related incidents across the country.

On the other hand, the budgetary allocation for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has declined. The premier investigation agency will get Rs. 318.28 crore in 2011-12, which is about nine per cent less than Rs. 350.14 crore given to it in 2010-11.

The amount has been allocated for the establishment-related expenditure of the CBI which is entrusted with investigation and prosecution of corruption cases against public servant, private persons, firms and other cases of serious crime. The allocation also includes provisions for the CBI e-governance, modernisation of training centres, establishment of technical and forensic support units, construction of offices, residential complexes of CBI branches, the budget document said.

Higher allocation for BSF

The border guarding para-military force, Border Security Force (BSF) which keeps vigil along the actual line of control in Jammu Kashmir, the Indo-Pak border in Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Indo-Bangladesh border has been allocated Rs. 7628.79 crores in 2011-12 which is higher than Rs. 7052.76 crore given to it in 2010-11.

Similarly, one of the largest para-military forces in the world, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been allocated Rs. 7827.32 crore in 2011-12, up from Rs. 7541.72 crores given to it in 2010-11.

A provision of Rs. 40.60 crore has been made in 2011-12 budgetary allocations for the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) which aims to link data bases as an input in combating terrorism. It intends to create a facility to improve capability to counter internal security threats. NATRGRID had received Rs. 33.81 crore in 2010-11.

The budget for the Cabinet Secretariat has been increased by 19 per cent to Rs. 50.12 crore, keeping in view expenses of the V.K. Shunglu Committee probing the allegations of corruption charges in the conduct of Commonwealth Games. The committee had recently submitted its first report.

During 2010-11, the budget for Cabinet Secretariat was Rs. 42.06 crore which has now been increased to Rs. 50.12 crore, which will include provision for salary of ministers and ministers of state, travel expenditure of officials of the secretariat, ministers and other establishment related expenditure of the secretariat.
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