AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 7909 - Product crack: Axis Bank Suvidhaa Prepaid Card

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

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

7909 - Product crack: Axis Bank Suvidhaa Prepaid Card - Live Mint

Product crack: Axis Bank Suvidhaa Prepaid Card

The card has been designed for those who don’t have a bank account and work in the informal sector

Mitra Joshi

Priyanka Parashar/Mint

Axis Bank Ltd has launched the Axis Bank Suvidhaa Prepaid Card, in partnership with Suvidhaa Infoserve Pvt. Ltd, a payment management company with 80,000 retail outlets across the country. The card, which is on the MasterCard platform, has been designed for those who don’t have a bank account and work in the informal sector.

HOW IT WORKS

These cards are available at designated Suvidhaa outlets, and not at Axis Bank branches. You can open the account through an electronic know-your-customer (e-KYC) facility at the outlet; the authentication is by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). You need to give your Aadhaar number and do a biometric scan of fingers. Once authenticated and validated, the account is activated. You will get a prepaid card kit, which will have the personal identification number and the card. The card can be used to deposit, withdraw and remit money. Validity is five years.

For remittance, the cardholder will have to ask Suvidhaa to issue an add-on card, for the receiver. But money can be remitted only from a Suvidhaa outlet. After the money is deposited, details such as sender and recipient’s mobile numbers, and the last four digits of recipient’s card will be needed. On transfer, the recipient will get a one-time password, to be used to collect the money at a Suvidhaa outlet.

If you want to withdraw your own money, you can do so at any automated teller machine (ATM).

CHARGES AND LIMITS

Card issuance, annual fee and card reissuance cost Rs.100 each. Annual fee (and service tax) is charged from the second year. There is also a loading charge of 1% of the amount. For instance, on deposit of Rs.10,000, loading charge will be Rs.100. The first two transactions are free at an Axis Bank ATM; after that it is Rs.20 per transaction. Withdrawal from other-bank ATMs will be charged as per their rates. Collecting money from a Suvidhaa outlet will cost Rs.20 per transaction. There is no minimum deposit limits; the maximum is Rs.50,000.

MINT MONEY TAKE

Though this is an attempt to provide access to unbanked workers, the limited access, charges and other factors make the product difficult to use. Money can be deposited for remittance only from a Suvidhaa outlet. KYC is dependent only on Aadhaar.

Charges may be on the higher side. If a person chooses to use this card to remit, say, Rs.10,000, the first time it will cost Rs.100 for the card, and Rs.100 to send the money. Since the add-on card facility hasn’t started yet, the recipient will have to go to a Suvidhaa outlet, and pay Rs.20 to get the money. That means Rs.220 (and Rs.100 from the next time) to send Rs.10,000. There are more cost-efficient ways to remit money, and which have a wider reach. Also, if the card is lost and there is fraudulent activity, the bank nor Suvidhaa will be responsible.