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

Sunday, July 6, 2014

5650 - Tug of war over Aadhaar slowing its progress - Hindustan Times

Tug of war over Aadhaar slowing its progress
Aloke Tikku, Hindustan Times  New Delhi, July 03, 2014

First Published: 00:21 IST(3/7/2014) | Last Updated: 00:26 I

Three NDA ministries are trying to pull the UPA’s signature project, Aadhaar, in different directions, threatening to further slow down the plan to give all residents a unique identity number (UID).

Sources told HT that three ministries — home, planning and information technology — were preparing to move the cabinet with their own plans for Aadhaar launched by Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani.

Aadhaar numbers have already been generated for 640 million people. Another 460 million are targeted to be completed by this year-end. But the uncertainty over Aadhaar’s future due to the change in government has already slowed down enrolment.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issued just 8.1 million Aadhaar numbers last month in contrast to 35.8 million in January this year. Nilekani — who quit UIDAI to contest elections on a Congress ticket — was not available for comments.

The planning ministry wants the cabinet’s approval to allow the UIDAI to enrol residents from 18 to 22 states and Union Territories. The ministry of information technology — that has the mandate to come up with e-governance applications — on the other hand wants the Aadhaar database to be placed under its charge.

The home ministry, however, wants the govt to reverse the UPA’s decision to allow UIDAI to enrol any residents. Instead, it wants to allow only the census commissioner — who is putting together the National Population Register — to enrol biometric details.

This, it is argued, would end the need for people to enrol their names twice.

“We do not know how it will play out,” said a government source, pointing that the PMO was expected to intervene “sooner than later” to bring some clarity.

The Nilekani-lead UIDAI was set up in 2009 with a mandate to generate Aadhaar numbers. But it persuaded then PM Manmohan Singh to allow them to enrol biometric details of the residents as well, a move that was projected to cost nearly `1,000 crore due to duplication.


Aadhaar-o-nomics
640 million Total Aadhaar numbers generated.
463 million Aadhaar generated through UIDAI enrollment.
177 million Aadhaar generated through National Population Register enrollment.
Total target: Enrollment of 1.10 billion people by end of 2014.

Usage
A valid proof of identification for availing government services such as opening of bank account or applying for driving licence.
Aadhaar enabled biometric attendance has also been introduced in some govt and private offices.

Aadhaar number linked bank accounts opened for direct benefit transfer of government services to plug leakages.
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