AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 2858 - Aadhar-linked norm may be relaxed

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

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

2858 - Aadhar-linked norm may be relaxed

Aadhar-linked norm may be relaxed

TUESDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2012 21:34 SANTOSH NARAYAN | RANCHI

The Centre’s ‘game changer’ plan to deposit subsidy directly into beneficiaries’ accounts linked with Aadhar numbers may see subtle modification in Jharkhand, at least for the initial period.

The beneficiaries of four districts selected in the State would be able to get money in their bank accounts without having themselves necessarily enrolled with the Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI). As per the information coming to The Pioneer, the conditionality of UID number would be relaxed keeping in mind the absence of cent per cent enrolments made in the districts.

“The condition is there, but the Government is thinking the compulsion of having Aadhar number of a beneficiary is waived for the initial 3-4 months. The purpose is to provide a breathing space to the beneficiaries, though the unique identification number would be followed religiously thereafter,” said a senior official. The scheme is slated to kick start on January 1, 2013 in 51 selected districts of the country.

A meeting in this regard has been called at the end of this week by the State Government in which various modalities about selection of the bank receiving funds released from the Centre under the subsidy head, further movement of the money into the districts and final disbursement into beneficiaries’ account would be sorted out.

Achintan Bhattacharya, Joint Secretary at Banking (DFS), Ministry of Finance, had also visited Jharkhand in early December for final review of the preparedness going on in the State.

Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Saraikela-Kharsawan and Ramgarh are the districts selected where the direct cash subsidy scheme has to be rolled out in Jharkhand. Bank of India (BoI) is the lead bank in all the four districts and carrying the responsibility for opening bank accounts.

“We are focusing on opening bank accounts of at least head of the family of each household. The idea is transferring the subsidy money into the hands of the head so that it can be used judiciously. We have set a deadline of December 15 for opening 12.53 lakh accounts covering each household in the four districts,” said Tarlochan Singh, Deputy General Manager cum Zonal Manager of BoI in Ranchi.

As per the latest figures there are 3.01 lakh households in Hazaribag, 1.77 lakh in Ramgrah, 2.18 lakh in Saraikela-Kharsawan and 5.56 lakh in Ranchi district. Money coming for scholarship and LPG and Kerosene subsidy would be taken up in the beginning.

Nevertheless, the Government to expedite the Aadhar enrolment has appointed some non-State registration agencies apart from the UID that would pave way for the Aadhar-enabled payment system.

“We have also been donning the role of NSR and have appointed Vakrangee, Frontech, Protex and Matrix for the enrolments in four districts. We have publicised much about UID numbers and facilitating people for the enrolments,” added Singh.

The beneficiaries would be given money through banking correspondents who would be carrying handheld devices connected with V-SAT, put atop on every panchayat building. The BCs would be carrying maximum Rs20,000 with them daily.