AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 2186 - Micro gadget ready to revolutionise financial activity

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, January 8, 2012

2186 - Micro gadget ready to revolutionise financial activity - Pioneer

SATURDAY, 07 JANUARY 2012 00:01 PNS | RANCHI HITS: 381

Calling India as the first country of the world that has undertaken task to generate 20 crore of biometric identification number through Aadhaar, Director General of Unique Identification Authority of India RS Sharma said that Jharkhand is the first state of the country which has started successful drive of financial inclusion through Aadhaar number.

Addressing a Press conference on Friday, Sharma displayed a mobile and micro ATM gadget which is about to bring revolution in the financial inclusion. "We are running a pilot project in three districts of Jharkhand and have successfully tested this gadget for online payment of NREGA wages, BPL and others. Initially, we collaborated with three banks which will appoint business correspondents," said Sharma.

Anyone with a bank account patched with Aadhaar can now withdraw money up to a limit of Rs 20,000, by using this gadget. The gadget is fitted with a SIM card and soon gets connected to the server of the UID and concerned bank for authentication of the finger print, other details and availability of amount in the said account. The gadget after identification generates a receipt upon which the business correspondent pays said amount. The whole process takes not more than 10 seconds to complete.

Business correspondent gets two per cent as service charge. Inter-account transfer of the funds can be made through this.

"It will be helpful for people living in village area where there is no banking facility," Sharma said. Referring to a recent study held in Madhya Pradesh he said that often people working as NREGA labourer and others are forced to spend around Rs 125 to withdraw Rs 525. "They often travel 20 km and more to visit a nearby bank to withdraw the money. It costs them their day's wage on traveling and expenses. Sometimes they fall prey to some tout. But after the introduction of this system things will be easy. We are proud to launch this in Jharkhand; first of its kind in the country," Sharma said.

Praising State Government for support to massive enrollment drive in Jharkhand, he said that the State Government is likely to make old age pension, scholarship payments and others through this micro ATM facility. Currently, four blocks of three districts of Jharkhand-Ranchi, Hazaribagh and Saraikela have been selected for this pilot programme. Asked about overall enrolment of population in the country and Jharkhand so far, he said that a total of 10 crore people in the country and 85 per cent of Jharkhand population has been brought under Aadhaar. He cleared few misgivings about Aadhaar number, often confused and considered as certification of citizenship or a document that can be used to open bank account and others.

Sharma also cleared two critical concerns dogging the project since Parliament has yet not enacted a law to give legal status to UIAI and Aadhaar.

"There is no legal hurdle. We have responded to the query made by the Standing Committee of the Parliament which is scrutinising the law," he said.

Recently Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had raised concerns that Aadhaar could be vulnerable to hacking and misuse. Neither agreeing nor disputing the concern of the Home Minister he said: "We are alert. We have made elaborate arrangements to ensure that our databank remains secured.