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

Saturday, August 23, 2014

5796 - Now, transfer money through your mobile recharge shop - TNN

Now, transfer money through your mobile recharge shop
Jayanta Deka, TNN | Aug 21, 2014, 05.18PM IST

Lucknow: For Delhi-based MNC employee Neelam Dubey, transferring money to her mother who stays in a village in Campierganj near Gorakhpur has always been a problem. Being 'semi-literate', her mother always avoided going to the bank and relied on easier alternatives. Neelam tried every option to ease out the transaction, sometimes sending cash through bus drivers headed to Sanauli on the Indo-Nepal border.

When the Reserve Bank of India initiated a pilot project, away from media attention, to test cash-out through mobile-based wallets, many like Neelam saw it as a step towards financial inclusion. RBI's pilot project is powered by 8 companies which include Airtel Money, Vodafone's M-Pesa and Oxigen. These e-wallets till now were offering cash deposit facility which enabled online transactions. For instance, Airtel Money which can run on any basic phone, offers cash deposit option and the money can be used for online shopping, paying utility bills, insurance premiums and recharging DTH and phones. Through tie-ups with banks, these e-wallets also offered cash withdrawal facility.

With the RBI's nod to the pilot project, these mobile wallet services were given a chance to disburse cash through their retail chain itself. The RBI is testing cash-out facility which will enable a user to send money through any ordinary mobile phone and also withdraw cash from the retailer by proving Aadhaar card. The project is already in operation in parts of UP (east), Bihar and Odisha.

"The project is helping villagers transfer cash through their basic phones without going to the bank which is often not nearby. India needs more banks and through this project we are trying to bridge the divide. For basic money transfer, there is now no need to have a bank account," said Pramod Saxena, founder & chairman of Oxigen while on a chat with TOI. Oxigen is one of the mobile wallet services that have been given permission to roll out the trial project by the RBI. The company handles more than 35 million transactions per month.

Experts said that once given a go-ahead, the mobile wallet services with cash-out facility can be a big step towards financial inclusion. With its direct linkage to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and the Aadhaar card system, through encrypted and closed-loop connection, the transactions are safe. At present, cash-out facility is given for free and 1.5% transaction fee is charged for cash deposits.

Saxena said that the currents trends show Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Punjab are the major cash-in points whereas most of the cash recipients are located in the villages in UP east and Bihar. "Once the service is rolled out across the country, we are expecting good business from UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Assam. At present, we have 200 retail points and are expecting to raise the number once RBI permits us," he added.


When contacted, Airtel and Vodafone declined to comment on the story, claiming they are not mandated to speak to the media on this project as yet. However, they confirmed that the project has started. RBI spokesperson also confirmed to TOI that the 'trial' project has began.
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