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

Friday, September 13, 2013

4599 - Aadhaar, a must-have - Hindu Business Line

Aadhaar, a must-have

ANAND KALYANARAMAN

The new RBI governor has emphasised on using Aadhaar to build individual credit histories.

Not yet applied for the Aadhaar card? Do so soon. This card, with a 12-digit unique identification number is valid for life, and will serve as your proof of both identity and address, anywhere in India. By using both demographic and biometric information (photograph, fingerprints and iris scan) to establish your identity, the card is meant to be fraud-proof.

So, it should come in handy for several transactions — from the simple ones such as booking travel tickets, to the not-so-simple, such as obtaining passports, opening bank accounts and getting telephone and gas connections.

ROUTE TO SUBSIDIES
More importantly, not having an Aadhaar card could pinch your pocket. The government is slowly but steadily rolling out the direct benefit transfer scheme across the country. Under this, subsidy amounts on products and services provided by the government will be directly deposited into the bank accounts of those meant to get it – with the Aadhar number meant to serve as authentication of the intended beneficiary.

Direct transfer of subsidy on domestic gas cylinders has already started in some parts of the country. Under this, you have to pay the full market price for the cylinder (around Rs 930) and the government transfers the subsidy amount (Rs 550) directly to your bank account.

To get the subsidy, you are expected to link your Aadhar number to your bank account and domestic gas consumer number. At the moment, the government seems to be going back and forth on the prerequisite of linking the number to get the subsidy benefit. But this measure is likely to be implemented in right earnest once the dust settles.

There are proposals to make the use of the Aadhaar number compulsory in property transactions, for new entrants in the Employee Provident Fund scheme and to link the unique identification to the accounts of existing EPF members.
Your Aadhaar card should be useful in other ways too, if current suggestions are anything to go by. In his first speech as the new RBI Governor, Raghuram Rajan emphasised the use of Aadhaar in building individual credit histories.

What this means is that the borrowing and repayment records of individuals will be tracked and collated using the Aadhaar card. A good track record may help you get loans cheaper and quicker in the future, while a poor show will impede your chances. The RBI governor also has plans to allow prepaid instruments issued by non-bank entities meet payment and remittance needs in rural areas. In this too, the card will play a key role.

HOW TO ENROL
The good news is that enrolling for it is free of cost, and rather simple. You need to go to any authorised centre with proof of identity and address, fill the enrolment form and provide the biometric information. Even if you do not have the valid documents, it is possible to enrol with the help of introducers. You can read the details of the enrolment process and search for the enrolment centres on the website of the Unique Identification Authority of India (http://uidai.gov.in/). There is also a toll-free number 1800-300-1947 where you can get your doubts clarified. If you live in states where enrolment for the Aadhaar card is being handled by the National Population Register, look out for public announcements on the dates and venues of enrolment camps.

anand.k@thehindu.co.in
(This article was published on September 7, 2013)
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