AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 4442 - Do not rush to enrol for Aadhaar: MLA = The Hindu

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, July 29, 2013

4442 - Do not rush to enrol for Aadhaar: MLA = The Hindu

Do not rush to enrol for Aadhaar: MLA

UDUPI, July 25, 2013

People wait in queue in front of head post office to get tokens for Aadhar enrolment in Udupi.

‘Those enrolled for NPR cards need not again enrol for Aadhaar cards’

Udupi MLA Pramod Madhwaraj on Wednesday urged people not to rush to the head post office here to get enrolled for Aadhaar. In a press release issued here, Mr. Madhwaraj said that those who had already enrolled for National Population Register (NPR) need not apply for Aadhaar. Since both cards would have same details, it was not necessary again to stand in a long queue in front of the head post office for the Aadhaar.

Already 30,000 NPR cards had been distributed in the district, while the remaining NPR cards would be mailed in the coming days. Hence, the people need not become anxious on this issue, he said. According to Additional Deputy Commissioner Kumara, of the population of 12,08,835 in Udupi district, data of 8,62,731 persons (74.95 per cent) had been collected for NPR cards. The second round of NPR enrolment had started in Kundapur taluk last week, he said.

He had been watching the long queue in front of the head post office here for the last two days. Many people had returned empty-handed in spite of standing in the queue for long hours. Mr. Madhwaraj said he discussed the issue with K. Jayaprakash Hegde, Udupi-Chikmagalur MP, M.T. Reju, Deputy Commissioner, and Sudhakar G. Devadiga, Superintendent of Posts. He said he would take up the issue with the Centre so that Aadhar system is made more efficient.

Only 50 families could be enrolled at the head post office for the Aadhaar card daily. There was no last date for enrolment for Aadhaar, he said. As many as 50 tokens would be issued everyday at the head post office here for enrolment for Aadhaar. The enrolment of these 50 persons, who had been issued tokens, would be done on the same day.

LONG QUEUES

Many people, including women and senior citizens, were angry that they had to stand for many hours at the Head Post Office just to get the token. Only the first 50 persons standing in the queue can get a token.

The enrolment process, which stopped on April 19 this year, was restarted on July 22. Many people in the queue complained that they had come on Monday also to get the tokens.

John D’Souza (64), a retired private sector employee, said he had come from Karkala at 6.40 a.m. and was waiting to get the token. He had also come on Monday and waited from 7.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. but could not get the token. “I wish the enrolment of Aadhaar was done at Karkala. It is 10.20 a.m. now, but I am still waiting,” he rued.

Ghulam Dastagir, who had come with three other family members from Uchila village at 6 a.m., said on Tuesday, “We had come yesterday also at 9.30 a.m. Since we did not get the tokens yesterday, we came earlier today. It is difficult to bring family members, especially women, and make them wait in long queue for four hours.”