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

Sunday, May 22, 2011

1335 - MasterCard Announces Top Executive Appointments to Harness Growth Markets

19/05/2011 03:36 

The FINANCIAL -- Singapore, 18 May 2011 – MasterCard Worldwide today announced three key executive moves that demonstrate the company’s ability to recognize talent and exploit new growth opportunities. 



 Ajay Bhalla will move from Division President for South East and South Asia to President of DataCash effective 6 June 2011, and will be based in the UK.  DataCash was acquired by MasterCard in 2010, and is key to driving MasterCard ’s e-Commerce strategy globally, allowing the company to provide new services to acquiring customers and drive increased e-Commerce penetration in both existing and new markets.  In this new position, Mr. Bhalla will lead MasterCard ’s global end-to-end gateway processing solutions organizations – DataCash and MIGS – as well as the associated Fraud Tool and Risk Management services, and will be responsible for their overall management, operations and strategic vision.

Mr. Bhalla has served in several capacities in nearly two decades with the organization, and was appointed Division President for South East and South Asia in 2010, responsible for MasterCard ’s business in 14 markets.

Under his leadership, the markets have become a hotbed for the rollout of new technology and innovative card programs, including MasterCard ® PayPass™ contactless technology, mobile payments with Near Field Communication capability and the unique MasterCard Titanium card, targeted at the young and upwardly mobile affluent consumer.  He was instrumental in the development of a payment solution for ‘Aadhaar’, a 12-digit Unique Identification Number (UID) which captures basic demographic and biometric information of Indian citizens, which significantly increases MasterCard ’s contribution to financial inclusion across India. Mr. Bhalla is also credited with successful strategic partnerships with a number of non-financial institutions in South East and South Asia, such as one that enabled MasterCard cardholders to use PayPass on Singapore’s public transportation network.

Matthew Driver will take on the role of Division President, South East Asia with immediate effect, and will be responsible for leading MasterCard ’s business in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Indochina.  Mr. Driver joined MasterCard in 2002, and first started in the UK, where he led the Citibank relationship in Europe before becoming general manager and global lead for the ABN Amro Global Account.  He subsequently moved to Singapore as senior vice president and general manager for the Citibank Global account team for Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA).

In 2010, he was appointed head of the Regional Key Relationships Division with oversight for key customer relationships across APMEA.  Under his leadership, the team strengthened the relationship with key customers and secured numerous multi-year agreements.  Mr. Driver will continue to oversee these key customer relationships until a suitable successor is found.

Mr. Driver has over 18 years of experience in the financial payments industry. Prior to MasterCard , he held a range of senior business development, new product development, marketing, consulting and research roles at American Express, WPP plc and Westpac Banking Corporation.

T.V.Seshadri will take up the position of General Manager of South Asia and Country President, India, responsible for promoting MasterCard ’s business in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives.

During his 14 years with MasterCard , Mr. Seshadri has held several roles overseeing operations in South East Asia, and in country management in Singapore and South Asia.  He has been credited with many successes, including spearheading the introduction of many innovative card products and new payment alternatives such as mobile commerce, as well as launching initiatives in e-commerce & chip design.  Prior to joining MasterCard , Mr. Seshadri worked for 11 years with Bank of America in India, Singapore and Hong Kong where he managed a broad range of portfolios with an extensive focus on retail product management.  
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