AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 7904 - Check-in may become quicker at RGIA

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

Monday, May 4, 2015

7904 - Check-in may become quicker at RGIA - TNN

Check-in may become quicker at RGIA

TNN | May 3, 2015, 03.02AM IST

HYDERABAD: If all goes well, the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad may soon have a 'hi-tech' e-boarding facility on offer for passengers. According to sources, the project, still at a nascent stage, will allow fliers to beat long-winding queues and reach the boarding gates in a matter of minutes.

The mandatory identification card (PAN, licence etc) too is likely to become obsolete.

While finer details of this mammoth project, the first of its kind in India, are still unclear, UIDAI officials confirm that they have tied up with airport authorities to implement Aadhaar-based identity checks at the entry gates.

Here's how it would work: Kiosks fitted with biometric systems will be placed at the entrance of the airport for the benefit of passengers with an Aadhaar card number. These kiosks will scan the fingerprint of an individual and immediately verify his/her credentials, complete with name and photograph. Once done, the flier can walk through the gate without showing any ID proof to the security personnel.

"The pilot will be based on Aadhaar's Electronic, Know Your Customer (e- KYC) service. We are providing all the necessary technical assistance to RGIA to get the system started," M V S Rami Reddy, deputy director-general for Aadhaar project told STOI.

As it turns out, the biometric kiosks will be connected to an e-KYC server of UIDAI at its Bangalore regional office that has details of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana residents. It will furnish real-time information, without any manual intervention. However, in the case of outstation passengers and foreign tourists, however, the system will not be applicable.

The objective behind the project, sources claim, is to put in place a smooth yet foolproof security system and help passengers cut short on the 'entry' time. "With ID cards, there is always scope for passengers to produce fake documents to gain entry. But with this Aadhaar e-KYC system in place, chances of fraud will be negligible. It's going to be a win-win situation for both passengers and security agencies," said Reddy. Digital company, Solace Systems, has been roped in for the project, UIDAI authorities said.

While a similar pilot project was launched at the Bangalore airport around six months ago, the system being initiated in Hyderabad is more expansive and involves multi-party participation, sources said. Also the Aadhaar link being explored at RGIA, for verification — has been phased out in the neighbouring state.

"In the city too, airport authorities are still believed to be in the process of ironing out technical concerns with Aadhaar authorities. We will have to wait and watch how the process is eventually implemented," said a source in the know of things.

The electronic Know Your Customer (e- KYC) was conceptualized by UIDAI, when Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani was at the helm of affairs. The initiative was primarily designed to cut down on complicated documentation processes.

BLURB

Kiosks fitted with biometric systems will be placed at the airport entrance, where the fingerprint of passengers with Aadhaar cards would be scanned and credentials verified with UID details. The flier can then do away with other ID checks