AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 3178 - 75% Aadhaar cards done, but rest facing long wait at centres

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

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

3178 - 75% Aadhaar cards done, but rest facing long wait at centres

75% Aadhaar cards done, but rest facing long wait at centres

Anjaya Anparthi, TNN | Mar 26, 2013, 06.54 AM IST

NAGPUR: Some 74.33% citizens have already registered for Aadhaar card in Nagpur, but those waiting to get registered are facing great inconvenience due to less number of registration centres, even as the May 31 deadline for registration is nearing. The state government is trying to cope with the last rush by directing district administration and civic bodies to open centres in public places like schools and colleges, besides government offices. It has also promised stringent action if any irregularities come to fore in Aadhaar cards.

Government data says 17,87,856 citizens were registered in the city as of March 8. The 2011 population census puts the city's population at 24.05 lakh. Thus, 74.33% of Nagpur's population has been registered under Aadhaar.

The Aadhaar registration seriously picked up pace after February, when the education department issued a directive to all schools and colleges, to ensure their students, teachers and parents are registered by May 31. As a result, some schools have set the deadline for their students and parents as March 31.

At the launch of Aadhaar registration in September 2010, NMC was given a target of completing the registration of 24.05 lakh population by March 31, 2012. But this target could not be achieved. The registration of only 15,66,893 persons have been completed at the given date, which was 65.155% of target.

Then, the government restarted enrolment in all cities to cover the remaining population from middle of 2012. Government figures reveal that 2,20,963 citizens have been registered in the second phase up to March 8.

However, citizens trying to register now are facing problems due to lack of sufficient number of centres. Government figures say there are only 15 centres in the city with 44 machines. Chairman of Laxmi Nagar zone Gopal Bohare told TOI that at least 250 machines should be available in the city. "NMC and district administration are not taking any interest towards Aadhaar registration. Laxmi Nagar zone does not have a single centre. I pressed for a centre for five months, and was given only three centres," he said.

Even NMC is not considering requests from schools to start Aadhaar centres. Director of South Point School, Ring Road, Deven Dasture said they have submitted an application two months ago requesting a centre at the school for the convenience of students and nearby citizens. "NMC did not even reply to my application. Centers should be increased as the existing centres are too few and far away from our school," he said.

NMC's Aadhaar coordinator RS Kamble said they now have 83 machines at work. "NMC is planning to take the number to 100. A mega centre with 10 machines has been started at Nehru Nagar zone. NMC has also requested the government to increase the agencies. Five agencies have been operating in the city. Now, IDBI Bank is set to start its centres. The registration will be expedited and completed in couple of months if the government permits six more agencies," he said.

Meanwhile, complaints are coming in of irregularities at Aadhaar centres. Corporator Bandu Raut said touts are demanding Rs500-700 to get Aadhaar cards made, taking undue advantage of the huge waiting time. "I will catch the touts red-handed and then lodge a complaint with police and NMC," he said.