AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 5449 - In Karnataka, Narendra Modi targets UPA’s Aadhaar, RTI; In Kerala, slams Antony Indian express

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

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

5449 - In Karnataka, Narendra Modi targets UPA’s Aadhaar, RTI; In Kerala, slams Antony Indian express

In Karnataka, Narendra Modi targets UPA’s Aadhaar, RTI; In Kerala, slams Antony

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate promised to create jobs for youth.

Express News Service Written by Shaju Philip | Bangalore | April 9, 2014 7:28 am

Modi at an election rally in Mysore on Tuesday. PTI

Campaigning for the BJP in Karnataka, Narendra Modi on Tuesday targeted the Congress-led UPA government for promising 10 crore jobs in its 2014 manifesto and targeted its popular schemes, including Aadhaar Unique Identification card, MNREGS and RTI.

He said the Congress was fooling people by repeating its failed promise of creating 10 crore jobs, whcih it made in the 2004 and 2009 manifestos.

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate promised to create jobs for youth.

Modi attacked rural employment guarantee scheme MNREGS saying it served to fill the pocket of Congress. He said the Right to Information (RTI) which Congress was flaunting had not filled anyone’s stomach.

In Bangalore, Modi targeted former UIDAI chief Nandan Nilekani, without naming him, for the Aadhaar card scheme.

Nilekani is the Congress candidate from Bangalore South. Modi questioned the wisdom of spending crores on Aadhaar without addressing issues of national and border security he had raised in the past on Aadhaar and which were not answered by central government officials.

Modi said, “They have a person who has 1000 crore but no Aadhaar. They made him candidate. He must answer what has been done with hundreds of crores of rupees meant for Aadhaar card. In the end the Supreme Court had to intervene.’’

“At the National Security Council meeting, I asked the Prime Minister to study questions I raised on Aadhaar. I said the scheme would not work if questions are not addressed,’’ he claimed.

Modi also campaigned for his biographer Pratap Simha making his political debut as Mysore Lok Sabha candidate.

Addressing rural population in Koppal and Bagalkot districts he said MNREGS had served to “fill the pocket of Congress.”

Modi said, “Has RTI given you something to eat? The black money stashed away, has it come back? In 2G scam, crores of rupees have been gobbled up. Has that booty come back?’’

Kasargode: Claiming that the Congress had failed to curb terrorism contrary to its promise made in earlier manifestos, Narendra Modi Tuesday called the latest Congress poll manifesto a “paper of betrayal”.

Addressing a rally here, Modi said, “In 2004 and 2009, Congress promised to fight terrorism. But the party did not take strong action against terrorism. To what extent you (Congress) were sincere about promises in the manifesto? In 2004 and 2009, your manifesto promised to strengthen the defence forces, but do security forces in the country have enough equipment?’’

Taking on Defence Minister A K Antony, who is leading the Congress campaign in Kerala, Modi said, “Antony, do you know 97 per cent of weapons and planes with the Air Force are outdated?”

He said Antony should explain how the coastline would be safeguarded when submarines are lost in accidents and the Navy chief has himself quit office. “What explanation can Antony give for the huge loss from the naval tragedies?” he asked.