AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 8281 - Admission status of out-of-school kids still unclear

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

Thursday, July 23, 2015

8281 - Admission status of out-of-school kids still unclear - TNN

Admission status of out-of-school kids still unclear

Piyush Bhusari, TNN | Jul 14, 2015, 06.13AM IST

KOLHAPUR: Ten days after a survey on identifying out-of-school children was carried out across the state, the district primary education department and the civic administration are still unclear about the admission status of such kids.

Officials of both the departments told TOI that the number of students admitted till Monday is being reviewed and the process is still underway. The state government's notification had clearly stated that once the students are identified as out-of-school, they should be admitted in a week and their schooling must start within the stipulated time.

During the July 4 survey, as many as 493 out-of-school children were identified in the district, while the number of such kids in the city was 56.

The officers have already said the higher authorities are yet to give clear instructions on the students identified at madrassas. Their admissions have been put on hold.

Smita Gaud, district primary education officer, told TOI, "The department is not sure of the students' admission status. We are preparing a report in this regard. We have asked the officers concerned at the taluka level to provide the admission status report, which is likely to be generated in at least two-three days."

When asked if the identified students are being admitted in schools, the officer again talked about the report which will throw light on the scenario.

The state government's circular on May 20 regarding out-of-school children stated that the identified kids should be be given Aadhaar cards within eight days.

When asked about the status of Aadhaar cards, the officer seemed reluctant and said, "At present, we are not sure about it. We will have to take a look at the report."

An official of the KMC's education department said on the condition of anonymity that the work is still 'on' and the data regarding the admission status of 56 kids is not available.

Anuradha Bhosale, vice-chairman of city-based NGO Avani told TOI that the entire survey was a farce as proper efforts were not taken. "There are hundreds of out-of-school children in the city, whereas the officials claim to have found only 56 kids. The administration hardly seems concerned with the admission status of these children," she said.

Uttam Gurav, headmaster of Nehru Nagar School said, "From Nehru Nagar, not a single child has been identified as out-of-school. Besides, the school has also not received any query on admissions in such cases."

The survey was in the centre of a controversy after the state government decided to consider students studying in madrassas out-of-school.

The administration had appointed 7,161 survey officers, along with 383 zonal officers and 22 control room officers across the district, for the event.

The school education department had collaborated with the departments such as public health, revenue, labour, women and child welfare, minority affairs, tribal development and social welfare as well as the municipal authorities to ensure that all the aspects were covered.

The squads were asked to look after marketplaces, slums, bus stops, railway stations and traffic signals among other places and start registering details of these children. Once registered, every child was marked on the finger with indelible ink.