AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 2915 - Why divide india into UID, NPR states?

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, February 3, 2013

2915 - Why divide india into UID, NPR states?

Why divide india into UID, NPR states?

Jan 6, 2013, 06.36 AM IST

He's involved in the rollout of the first phase of direct (cash) benefit transfer (DBT) scheme which was launched on January 1. Yet, rural development minister Jairam Ramesh tells Pradeep Thakur he can't understand why non-UPA and opposition-ruled states such as Bihar, West Bengal, UP, Odisha and Tamil Nadu were excluded from it.

The government has not being able to launch DBT in more than 20 districts and seven schemes. Has it failed?

DBT is not a switch that you put on and off. It's a process of moving towards a system . It will take couple of months to pick up. On January 6, we are launching payment of MGNREGA wages through the DBT system . We are starting from East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh as we have all the systems in place there — beneficiaries identified, bank accounts opened and banks and post offices better prepared. We are already starting payment of old age and widow pensions through this system. Once similar infrastructure facilities are available in other districts, we will be able to launch DBT there too.

But major benefits such as food, petroleum /LPG and fertilizer subsidies are still out of DBT.

Food subsidy is not part of the DBT system as the finance minister has made it amply clear. It will take time for rolling out cash benefits against these subsidies; it may happen by the end of 2013.

But, minus these subsidies, how can it be a game-changer for UPA?

See, this is not an electoral strategy. This is a fundamental reform of the delivery system which is currently corruption-prone . It has serious issues of authenticity. If you remember , Rajiv Gandhi had said 25 years back that only 15 paisa of every rupee reaches the beneficiary, while 85 paisa gets consumed by the administrative machinery or in corruption . To escape that, Rajiv had launched a revolution in panchayats. Today, we will fundamentally rewrite how the benefits reach the people. The objective of the government is to send (cash) benefits directly to beneficiaries' bank accounts. Through DBT, we are bringing in administrative reform.

What are the challenges you faced here?

Connectivity is still irregular in many parts of the country. The new system is crucially dependent on banking correspondents and more crucially, on banks and post offices that are being geared up. Today, banks are in a better position than post offices. By 2013 end, we may have 100 districts in India where scholarships , pensions , wage payments and subsidies could be launched.

What kind of subsidies?

Like fertilizer, hopefully. It will take some time for the government to distribute fertilizer , LPG and kerosene subsidies through DBT, but it will certainly happen. MGNREGA wages, pensions...this will happen in 100 districts by the end of 2013.

But why have some of the non-UPA and opposition-ruled states such as Bihar, UP, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Odisha, where poverty is very high, been left out in the first phase?

That was a decision taken at the level of the prime minister. There are some states where the enrolment will be done by the UID authority (giving Adhaar cards) and others where it will be done through the National Population Register (NPR). Those left out are NPR states.

But why Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, TN... ?

I don't understand that. That's a decision taken by the PM, finance minister and the home minister. You have to ask them. They divided India into two — one as UID and the other as NPR states. I don't see any reason for continuing with this distinction. I don't see any reason why UID can't enroll beneficiaries even in the so-called NPR states. They can be enrolled based on the Adhaar number.

Why are you raising this now?

I had made a proposal to the PM three weeks ago. It's up to him to take a decision. The proposal is under consideration.

After some NDA states included 90% of their population under the food security scheme, will the UPA rework the list of beneficiaries under its proposed Food Security Act?

Currently, this bill is pending before the standing committee. However, I'm personally in favour of a universal system based on exclusion criteria. For instance, someone paying income tax can be excluded. Otherwise, there are chances of leakages.

On the recent rape controversy, chemical castration...

Don't talk on rape. No, no, don't change the subject. I'm talking to you only on DBT.

You are part of the core team of Rahul Gandhi...

I'm talking only on DBT. No discussion on politics.