A talk on ‘Interrogating the UID and the National Population Register’ will be delivered by legal expert Usha Ramanathan at Asian College of Journalism, Taramani, at 5.30 p.m. on Thursday 7th August 2014
INTERROGATING
THE UID AND THE NATIONAL POPULATION REGISTER
Or why we need to be wary of the hidden agenda in official schemes for
creating a citizens’ roster through invasive data harvesting, using ‘unique’
identity markers like fingerprints, iris and mucous membranes
Talk by eminent legal expert
USHA
RAMANATHAN
Thursday,
August 7, 2014, 5:30 - 6:15 pm
at the
Asian College of Journalism
(The Lecture Hall, II Floor)
Second Main Road
Taramani
Chennai-6000 113
Eminent
lawyer GEETA RAMASESHAN will chair the talk and
moderate the discussion that follows
moderate the discussion that follows
ALL ARE
WELCOME
In the past few years, we have been told that we must all line up and
have our fingerprints and irises scanned. We have been told this is the way to
root out corruption; prevent leakage of public resources; protect ourselves
against terrorism. The claim is, this way the poor will get money into their
accounts, subsidies will be reduced and even citizenship will be secured by
identifying illegal migrants.
The three words that have been breezily used are ‘Unique’, which biometrics
is supposed to achieve; ‘Universal’, which will pull every individual on to a
common data base, and ‘Ubiquitous’, by which the identity number will be
applied and recognized across platforms like income tax, health records, bank
accounts, passport, travel and credit card transactions, rent, sale, marriage,
employment, school and college records.
We have also been assured that the UID number never dies. Not even when
we do.
Is this really a single-window cure for all that ails our system?
Will all our problems melt away with the creation of a `unique
identity'?
Is this data-aggregator path the way to definitive citizenship?
The talk will
interrogate the scheme to uncover its true intent. Please do come and join the
conversation.
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Dr. Usha Ramanathan is an independent law researcher working
on the jurisprudence of law, poverty and rights. She studied law at Madras
University, the University of Nagpur and Delhi University.
Ms. Ramanathan is a nationally reputed writer and speaker on issues that
include the Bhopal Gas Disaster, mass displacement, eminent domain, civil
liberties, beggary, criminal law, custodial institutions, the environment and
judicial process. She has been monitoring and engaging with the UID project,
and has written and debated extensively on the subject. Her work draws heavily
upon non-governmental experience in its encounters with the state, a six year
stint with a law journal as reporter from the Supreme Court, and engaging with
matters of public policy. Some of her writings can be found at http://www.ielrc.org/.