AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 8740 - UIDAI locks horns with activist for 'misinterpreting' RTI reply

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, September 24, 2015

8740 - UIDAI locks horns with activist for 'misinterpreting' RTI reply - Economic Times

UIDAI locks horns with activist for 'misinterpreting' RTI reply

By IANS | 23 Sep, 2015, 02.16PM IST

MUMBAI/ NEW DELHI: The UIDAI - entrusted with the onerous task of preparing Aadhaar cards for all Indians - has locked horns with an RTI activist, accusing him of "misinterpreting" replies to Right to Information queries.

In a statement here on Wednesday, the UIDAI has refused contentions made by Mumbai-based RTI activist Anil Galgali - based on a UIDAI's reply - that it had awarded Aadhaar card project works worth Rs.13,663 crore without soliciting tenders.

"We categorically state that this is a false statement made with malafide intentions," H.L. Verma, UIDAI's deputy director (media), said of the report carried by IANS and other media on September 20.

The skewed presentation of information received under RTI without context and proper understanding of the facts is an attempt to tarnish the clean image of UIDAI, he added.

Verma explained that the total approved outlay for the UIDAI project is Rs.13,663.22 crore and it pays to the state government, public sector banks and public institutions only Rs.40 for each Aadhaar card for enrolment done by their agencies.

"UIDAI only does the empanelment of the enrolment agencies... the question of issuing any tender by UIDAI does not arise... It is the registrars who enter into contracts with the enrolments agencies...," Verma pointed out.

To this, Galgali said: "In reply to my RTI query, the UIDAI's Public Information Officer categorically stated that there is 'no tendering process'. He did not clearly state this or mention that the works are carried out by various state governments and other agencies."

Referring to UIDAI's contention that the registrars were required to do open tendering for engaging enrolment agencies from those agencies who are already empanneled by it, Galgali said it was the UIDAI's duty to explain this process or it should have been forwarded to concerned registrars for their response, as per Section 6(3) of the RTI Act, 2005.

The UIDAI also termed as "miscomprehension and malafide" allegations that 25 companies were given contracts without tendering and said its website lists all contracts awarded with tender documents, following the prescribed government norms.

Galgali pointed out that the miscomprehension arose due to the vague nature of replies to simple, direct RTI queries submitted by him, and the fact that no tenders were issued for such huge Aadhaar card works remains hazy.

"On its website, under the title 'Contracts Awarded' implies that these are contracts and not empanelment. The query sought details about contractors, but the reply on its link shows Contracts Awarded. This portrays incompetence of the UIDAI's PIO to respond correctly to RTI queries," Galgali said.