AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 9367 - Work culture

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, February 15, 2016

9367 - Work culture - Daily Excelsior

Work culture

Posted on 14/02/2016 by Dailyexcelsior

Work culture in our offices and state organizations is abysmally disappointing. The notion that the Government cannot dismiss an employee is a dangerous notion that is at the root of inefficiency, incompetence and non-punctuality. The worse is when authorities look to other side when a subordinate willfully transgresses the rules and becomes a law unto self. The work culture prevailing now in Government offices is akin to somebody going to an excursion to enjoy a few chats with colleagues, a few puffs of cigarette, a few jokes nasty and indecent, a few backbites and a couple of negative entries in the files.

A small measure has been attempted by the Government to bring about a change in this culture. In order to ensure punctuality and promote transparency and efficiency in its offices and establishments, Government has decided to switch over to the Aadhaar Based Biometric System on or before March 31, 2016 and detailed directions have been issued to all the concerned for strict compliance.

According to the directions issued by the General Administration Department, no salary or wages would be drawn in favour of the Government employees of any category for the month of March 2016 onwards unless they have enrolled themselves in the Aadhaar Based Biometric System. This condition also applies to the PSU employees, contractual, consolidated and casual workers drawing wages in any form from the public exchequer.

Administrative Secretaries/ HoDs and DDOs of various departments/corporations shall ensure installations of desktop based Aadhaar Based Biometric Attendance System/ Machines in their respective offices at an earliest and Information Technology Department and NIC Centers in each district have been directed to provide necessary guidance and support for implementation This order applies to the pensioners also who have get themselves registered with the nearest Common Service Centre/ Khidmat Centre or any other place having the facility.

Aadhaar Based Biometric Attendance System is becoming common for Government and even private organizations. The reports are that the system has improved punctuality among the functionaries and consequently the work output has increased. In normal course of things, the system should become successful in our State also. But it is yet too early to draw conclusion. Essentially it is the sense of responsibility and moral duty that play the decisive role for any functionary. We know of hundreds and thousand of functionalities who have rarely missed reporting to office in time and leaving the office in time. But then there are irresponsible functionaries and they are the stumbling block in good governance. We appreciate the Government has come out with a devise to improve the system and we shall watch with eagerness to see how far the system succeeds.