AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 7530 - Now, Aadhaar to be linked to voter ID

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, March 18, 2015

7530 - Now, Aadhaar to be linked to voter ID - Indian Express

Now, Aadhaar to be linked to voter ID

Written by Nisha Nambiar | Pune | Published on:March 11, 2015 2:27 am

After LPG subsidy and registration of flats got Aadhaar-linked, it is the turn of voter identity cards. Taking a cue from Andhra Pradesh, voter identity cards in Maharashtra will be linked with Aadhaar numbers under the Election Commission’s National Electoral Rolls Purification and Authentication Programme that was launched on March 3. It will be on till July 30.

Pune district has 70 lakh voters and Electoral Photo Identity Card (with a coverage around 91 per cent). The programme will link EPIC cards with Aadhaar card as well as voter data and urge voters to submit details under a special form that asks EPIC number as well as Aadhaar number that needs to be submitted.

“The special drive will focus on collection of details of Aadhaar card, voluntary disclosure of duplication of names, improvement of image quality in the electoral roll as well as giving mobile number and email addresses,” said district collector Saurabh Rao.

Rao said he would discuss the issue with all political parties and initiate a special drive on April 12 as well as some Sundays till July and plan it in tandem with electoral officers. Linking Aadhaar number with EPIC database will be done as per methodology indicated in separate instructions being issued by the IT division of the Commission.

The ECI, under this special drive, wants to have a clean electoral roll and in spite of completion of summary revision it had come to notice that there were errors and the drive has to see that the electoral roll should be without any defects, errors or multiple entries.

Feeding of Aadhaar number in EPIC database will be done through a National Voters Service Portal using web services through Election Commission website, or through an SMS to 51969 or by email or by a mobile App (though the App is still being developed).

The process can be initiated by calling at 1950, toll-free number, or by submitting Aadhaar number and EPIC number in a duly filled format along with a photocopy of EPIC and Aadhaar card. The district administration will be initiating BLOs for the drive who will collect the data while Electoral Registration Offices too will collect the same through voters facilitation centres, e-seva centres and citizen service centres authorised by the Deputy Election Officer.

Presently, Aadhaar card coverage is 77 per cent and the district aims to increase coverage by covering more people with available machines at CFCs, said collector Rao.

For the special drive, the ERO will ensure that an updated copy of the electoral rolls is available at each polling station and all such places where special camps are being organised.

The programme is aimed at achieving 100 per cent coverage by July as per ECI guidelines. while the Commission has asked the CEO to monitor the programme closely while taking stock of the situation, the target achieved and the review of the remaining work.

Aadhaar coverage to be improved

Aadhar coverage in the district is 77 per cent, with Haveli registering highest 98.64 per cent coverage. At 64 per cent, Velhe has the lowest coverage.

The district will undertake special drives for the age group of 0-6 years in the district. At present, there are 84 machines and Collector Saurabh Rao has instructed that they should be put to maximum use as they have also got 165 trained people from the IT department to ensure a better coverage.