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, October 7, 2013

4778 - Residents in a mad rush to record biometric data - The Hindu



TIRUCHI, October 7, 2013
Residents in a mad rush to record biometric data
S. GANESAN

Residents thronging a camp to get their biometric data recorded for getting the Aadhaar cards at the Ariyamangalam zonal office in Tiruchi on Sunday. Photo: R. M. Rajarathinam

As the corporation has announced issue of 150 tokens a day at each centre, Aadhaar camps witness queues since early morning

With the Aadhaar cards deeming essential to get LPG subsidy under the Direct Benefit Transfer planned to be implemented in Tiruchi district from November 1, there has been a big rush at the camps for recording biometric data for issue of national identity cards in the city since Thursday.

However, the limited number of kits and teams deployed for carrying out the process has evoked angry reactions from city residents. Some have started lining up at the queues at the centres as early as 4.30 in the mornings to get the tokens. Tiruchirapalli City Corporation that facilitates the exercise appears to be saddled with a huge logistical problem after announcing the start of the second round of the camps.

About 71 per cent of the 7.92 lakh above-five population in the 60 wards was covered in the first phase of the special camps. But, the announcement over the planned implementation of the DBT from November 1 in the district has triggered anxiety among residents, who failed to attend the camps in the first round. Under the DBT, subsidy for LPG consumers is to be transferred directly to the Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts. The Aadhaar camps are currently being held at Ariyamangalam, Golden Rock, and Srirangam zonal offices, and at Corporation Elementary School at E.V.R.Road in Puthur in K.Abishekapuram zone.

But with just two biometric data recording kits made available at each of the centres, data of only about 150 persons could be recorded a day at each of the centres. The corporation had announced that only 150 tokens would be issued at each centre. This has triggered a rush early in the morning at the camps with people vying with each other to get the tokens for the day. However, hardly 30 to 40 people in the queue manage to get the tokens. For, one token has to be issued to each member in a family. If a person has five family members, he is issued five tokens.

“We have been waiting for over two hours to get the tokens at least for tomorrow. But, officials are not issuing the tokens now for tomorrow. The corporation and the government should have made better arrangements and deployed officers to provide proper guidance to the anxious people,” said a senior citizen from Cantonment.

Officials in K.Abishekapuram zone have announced a schedule under which residents of one ward is covered in a particular day. However, this system too is drawing flak from residents. “I have been coming for the past two days to get the tokens, but could not get it. Officials do not give us proper answers and ask us to check the schedule or go to the zonal office. I have come leaving my children at home. We are being made to run from pillar to post,” a woman complained at the Puthur centre.

The lucky ones who had got the tokens also complain over the time-consuming process. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to record the full details of a citizen and those in the queue have to wait patiently, some for a few hours for their turn. Corporation officials expect the rush to come down over the next few days and assure that all residents will be covered.

“Residents need not panic. The camps will go on for more than two months and we will not leave out anybody,” said Corporation Commissioner V.P.Thandapani. When asked about the limited availability of kits, Mr. Thandapani said the camps were resumed as there were many enquiries. But, the second round of the exercise has not yet begun in a full-fledged manner. More kits will be deployed in the city when the camps in the rural parts of the district are completed, he said.

Another centre
Meanwhile, the corporation has announced that a second centre will start functioning at Sattalbai Maternity Hospital near Ibrahim Park from Monday in Srirangam zone. While residents in ward 1 to 6 in the zone can attend the camps at the zonal office in Srirangam, those in ward 8-13 and 16-18 are required to attend the camps on the hospital premises.

Keywords: Tiruchi corporation, biometric data, Aadhaar registration, Direct Benefit Transfer, Tiruchi district, Aadhaar cards
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