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

Thursday, November 14, 2013

4926 - Subsidy scheme for LPG skids on apex court ruling on Aadhaar - Hindu Businessline

Subsidy scheme for LPG skids on apex court ruling on Aadhaar
  • RICHA MISHRA

  • SIDDHARTHA P. SAIKIA
Subsidy transfers: Under the scheme, cash subsidy is directly transferred to a customer’s bank account as soon as he/she books a refill. Both the bank account and LPG customer number are linked to Aadhaar.. — Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Oil Ministry seeks clarity for smooth rollout in more districts
NEW DELHI, NOV. 6:  

The pace of implementing the Aadhaar-linked subsidy scheme for LPG has slowed down following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that the unique number cannot be made mandatory for welfare schemes.
The latest data for the week ended October 27 show that the increase in those opting for such schemes has been only 0.4 per cent against up to five per cent earlier.
There is confusion in the minds of customers after the Supreme Court said that public services, such as LPG connections, cannot be denied to a person if he/she does not possess an Aadhaar number, a senior Government official said. This is being contested by the Government, he added.
However, till a final verdict is out, the pace of the Government’s ‘game changer’ Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) of LPG scheme, being implemented by the Ministry for Petroleum & Natural Gas, will slacken.
Under the scheme, cash subsidy is directly transferred to a customer’s bank account as soon as he/she books a refill. Both the bank account and LPG customer number are linked to Aadhaar.
“Immediate clarity is required, as it is affecting the implementation of an otherwise successful programme,” an official told Business Line.
He said the scheme had helped reduce black marketing, removed customer duplication and had cut LPG imports. “We have already cancelled 0.86 million tonne of LPG imports. Every year, India imports about 6 million tonne of LPG,” a Petroleum Ministry official said.
Phase one of the scheme was launched in June in 18 districts of eight States and two Union Territories, which was extended to 20 districts in August. As part of the decongestion programme before launching the scheme, oil companies had removed 63 lakh customers who had more than one connection. The total LPG customer base now is around 15 crore, with around one crore new consumers added every year.
The Government has decided to extend the scheme in 235 more districts by January 2014 in phases, depending on Aadhaar penetration. With this roll-out, almost half the country, covering 289 districts, are expected to get covered by January.
Today, the scheme is operating in over 144 districts, covering 8.3 million consumers.
The official said “in States where Aadhaar penetration is good, there is no problem. But in States such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where the Aadhaar availability is low, this uncertainty will create an issue.”
Public sector oil marketing companies have already spent close to Rs 1,000 crore as subsidy on LPG, which is yet to be reimbursed by the Finance Ministry. The Petroleum Ministry is looking at an outgo of almost Rs 9,000 crore in the scheme.
The reimbursement for the current fiscal is expected to come in the second supplementary demands for grant to be considered in the Winter session of Parliament.
richa.mishra@thehindu.co.in
siddhartha.s@thehindu.co.in
(This article was published on November 6, 2013)
Keywords: Aadhaar-linked subsidy scheme for LPG, Supreme Court’s recent ruling, Direct Benefits Transfer of LPG scheme
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