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

Monday, March 19, 2012

2451 - Nilekani's UID project gets Rs. 14,000 cr - CIOL


Nilekani's UID project gets Rs. 14,000 cr

For the introduction of Goods and Services Tax, the government has set up an Empowered Group headed by Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)

Friday, March 16, 2012

BANGALORE, INDIA: Former Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani's ambitious scheme of Unique IDs will get a boost in 2012-13, as  Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has okayed approved about Rs. 14,000 crore for his Aadhaar scheme.
This is expected to help enrollments of about 40 crore Indian residents and the project is aimed to be complete by June 2013.

Finance Minister Mukherjee informed the Lok Sabha during his Union Budget address that UIDAI has completed about about 20 crore enrollments. About 14 crore Aadhaar numbers have been issued till date. For the introduction of Goods and Services Tax, the government has set up an Empowered Group headed by Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)

The National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) has been selected as technology partner for incubating the National Information Utility that will establish and operate the IT backbone for the GST.


Highlights of Budget 2012

1.FY12-13 GDP expected to grow 6.9pc
2. Expect inflation to come down shortly
3. FY 13 Focus on domestic demand
4. Nandan Nilekani's UID project gets a boost with Rs. 14,000 cr allotment
5. Govt to retain 51 pc in PSUs
6. Tax relief for retail
7. Rs. 15888 crore allocated for banks
8. Considering 49 pc FDI in airlines
9. FY 13 divestment target Rs. 30000 crore
10. GST network to start in August
11. To present new micro Finance Bill
12. Slowdown attributed to slow industrial growth.
13. DTC implementation defereed
14. Companies initiating IPO for Rs. 10 cr or more, will be in electronic form
15. Credit link subsidy programme for micro enterprises
16: Tax exemption limit increased just by Rs. 20,000 - Upto Rs. 2 lakh: Income Rs. 2-5 lakh - 10 per cent tax; From Rs. 5-10 lakh 20 per cent
17. NO change in corporate tax rate
18. Restriction on venture capital investment goes
19. Tax deduction extended up to 200 per cent for research
20. School education exempt from service tax
21. A Rs.. 193,407-crore provision for Defence services in 2012-13
22. Rs.. 1000 crore for National Skill Development Corporation
23. 14 crore Aadhar enrolment planned in the year, starting from April 2012
24. Government allocates Rs.. 5,000 crore venture fund for MSME sector
25. Defence Budget increased by more than 17 per cent!


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