AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 2400 - Aadhaar panel favours e-payment for all social safety net schemes

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, February 24, 2012

2400 - Aadhaar panel favours e-payment for all social safety net schemes - Hindu Business Line

Final report: The Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, and the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, hold copies of the Final Report of the Task Force on an Aadhaar-Enabled Unified Payment Infrastructure, presented to them by the UIDAI Chairman, Mr Nandan Nilekani (extreme right), in the Capital on Thursday. — Photo: Kamal Narang

Final report submitted to Finance Minister

NEW DELHI, FEB. 23:

A network of a million interoperable micro ATMs to be operated by business correspondents should be set up across the country to ensure that the benefits of various social sector schemes reach the intended beneficiaries.

This has been suggested in the final report of the Task Force on Aadhaar enabled Unified Payment Infrastructure. Mr Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, UIDAI, submitted the final report to the Union Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, here today.

The Aadhaar enabled e-payment system would help not only in ensuring the timely payments directly to the intended beneficiaries but would also help reduce the time taken, transaction costs and the leakages among others, Mr Mukherjee said after receiving the final report.

In order set up the network of million microATMs, the task force has recommended that a last mile transaction fee of 3.14 per cent with a cap of Rs 20 per transaction be paid by Government to banks for Government payments. The microATMs can be used for balance query, deposits, withdrawals and remittances.

In order to reduce the use of cash in the economy, the task force has also recommended that Government and Government-owned institutions accept electronic payments at all locations where they collect payments from citizens, without any additional surcharge.

Over a period of time, all payments of Government over the sum of Rs 1,000 should be made or received electronically, the task force report has suggested.

Mr Nilekani made a presentation highlighting the various recommendations made by the task force in its final report. He said that the beneficiaries of all social safety net programmes (MGNREGS, SSP, IAY) and recipients of direct subsidy transfer payments (LPG, Kerosene and Fertilisers) can greatly benefit by receiving their payments electronically, directly into accounts of their choice at their banks or post offices.

In the final report, the task force has suggested that India Post should accept Aadhaar as KYC for post office savings bank accounts and money orders.

India Post should look at deployment of microATMs in every post office. India Post should join interoperability networks and service customers of other banks, and allow own customers to use ATMs, microATMs installed by other banks.

PROOF OF IDENTITY

The task force has also suggested that the Reserve Bank of India may consider recognising the Aadhaar letter as proof of identity and proof of address for money transfer. The central bank should notify guidelines for interoperability of business correspondents.

The RBI should publish a policy in conjunction with the Government to formulate a plan and set targets for reducing the usage of cash in the Indian economy.

For banks, the task force has suggested that at least one microATM be deployed in every bank branch. Banks have been asked to deploy a network of one million business correspondents.

Today's meeting was attended among others by the Union Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar; the Rural Development Minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh; the Consumer Affairs Minister of State (independent charge), Mr K.V. Thomas; and the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Mr Srikant Jena.

krsrivats@thehindu.co.in