AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 7944 - Drop CENTAC Online Counselling Move: Forum

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 12, 2015

7944 - Drop CENTAC Online Counselling Move: Forum - Indian Express

Drop CENTAC Online Counselling Move: Forum

By Express News Service

Published: 11th May 2015 06:01 AM

PUDUCHERRY: A rights forum has urged the UT administration to desist from the proposed move to conduct online counselling for admissions to professional courses through the Centralized Admission Committee (CENTAC).

Addressing reporters on Sunday, Puducherry French Indians Rights Forum (PFIRF) president M Illango said the government decision to go for online counselling will affect the students, especially those from the villages, who are not proficient with the online process.

He demanded the government should revert to the face-to-face personal counselling in order to ensure transparency in the selection process and that only eligible candidates get admitted to the courses of their choice.

Ilanago said the parents of the rural students who depend on internet centres may end up taking the wrong decision for their wards.

Ilango informed that the rights body will meet Chief Minster N Rangasamy and the elected representatives to submit memorandum in this regard. “If the government still chooses to go ahead, then they will move the court against it,” he added.

He said the instructions laid out by the government were confusing and even makes the wards of French citizens, who are enlisted in the French Consulate in Puducherry, reportedly eligible for applying through CENTAC. Also, as per the guidelines, the wards of central government employees who have stayed in Puducherry for even one year are eligible to apply, he said and added that this will deprive eligible candidates.

Illango demanded that a committee comprising of Secretaries to the government, revenue officials, education department officials, elected representatives of the people and social activists should be constituted to verify all the certificates and other documents being issued by the revenue department for the purpose of admission to professional courses prior to the counselling.

Social activist, Balasubramianian, who was with Ilango in the press meet, said that the original Aadhaar cards of all candidates applying through CENTAC, along with the Aadhaar cards of their parents, should be verified and also applications of all the cadidates should be cross checked with the Anna University, Chennai. If a candidate is found to have applied for these courses in both in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, criminal action be initiated against them, he said.

Pointing that last year, nearly 10 students got admission by producing fake domicile certificates, which were later probed and were found to be fake, Balasubraminian said all the culprits were yet to be booked. “This should not happen this year and only the residents of Puducherry and their wards should be benefitted from the CENTAC counseling,” Balasubramanian said.

Another social activist, G Sugumaran, said those who applied under the freedom fighter quota should be the kin of Puducherry Freedom fighter and residing in Puducherry. The eligibility for admission under freedom fighter quota should be finalised only on the basis of the Madras High Court direction in this regard to Anna University last year, he said.

It may be recalled that the CENTAC in its website had already said it will adopt online counseling method for admissions to the professional courses. Dates for the Counseling will be sent through SMS, e-mail and will be updated in the CENTAC website. The students should refer the CENTAC website regularly and the site will be open from 7 am to 7 pm daily. After a week’s gap, CENTAC will publish selection list on the website and provisional allotment will be posted on the website.