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

Sunday, April 3, 2016

9727 - With eye on Uttar Pradesh polls, Narendra Modi turns to Ambedkar - Live Mint

Last Modified: Sat, Apr 02 2016. 10 37 AM IST

With eye on Uttar Pradesh polls, Narendra Modi turns to Ambedkar

Narendra Modi is set to launch a campaign to showcase Ambedkar’s life and to mark the 125th birth anniversary of the Dalit icon

Pretika Khanna

A file photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo: AFP

New Delhi: Ahead of polls in Uttar Pradesh in 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch a campaign to showcase B.R. Ambedkar’s life and to mark the 125th birth anniversary of the Dalit icon. As part of the celebration the prime minister will also address village communities across the nation. On Thursday, President Pranab Mukherjee signed the ordinance to authorize expenditure in Uttarakhand which is currently under President’s rule.
With eye on Uttar Pradesh polls, Narendra Modi turns to Ambedkar
Ahead of next year’s crucial assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a campaign to showcase the life of B.R. Ambedkar, chief architect of the Constitution, with an eye on capturing the Dalit vote in the country’s most populous state. The initiative, Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan, will include a major outreach to India’s villages on three basic themes—promotion of social harmony, rural development and farmers’ progress. The programme is being organised to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar, a Dalit icon, will conclude on 24 April with Modi addressing all village communities. Read More

President signs ordinance on Uttarakhand expenditure
President Pranab Mukherjee has promulgated the Uttarakhand Appropriation (Vote on Account) Ordinance, 2016 which authorizes expenditure in the hill state that has come under direct federal rule because of a political crisis.The ordinance allows for the withdrawal of about Rs.13,642.43 crore to meet the state’s expenditure during the ongoing fiscal year. The centre imposed President’s rule in Uttarakhand this month on grounds of “breakdown of governance” after a political crisis was triggered by a rebellion in the state’s ruling Congress party. Read More

India has started linking Jan Dhan scheme, Aadhaar and mobile numbers: Arun Jaitley
To roll out its ambitious JAM (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) trinity plan to directly transfer subsidies to intended beneficiaries and eliminate intermediaries and leakages, the government has started linking the Jan Dhan scheme, Aadhaar numbers and mobile numbers of individuals, finance minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday. Read More

Kolkata flyover collapse: 3 IVRCL officials held on murder charges; toll rises to 24
A day after an under-construction flyover collapsed in Kolkata leaving at least 24 dead, the police on Friday arrested three top officials of a Hyderabad based company which was building the flyover and slapped murder charges on them. The toll rose to 24 with the recovery of three more bodies from the debris on Friday. Read More

Govt clears diversion of forest land to set up missile testing facility
The environment ministry has cleared the diversion of over 150 hectares of forest in the Krishna wildlife sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh for setting up a missile testing facility, overriding concerns that it could threaten endangered Olive Ridley turtles and several bird species. It is the third time in two years that a defence project has claimed space meant for wildlife. Read More :

Rs1 trillion of power utility debt moves to state balance sheets
Eight states issued bonds to the tune of Rs.1 trillion till 31 March, bringing down the accumulated debt of power distribution companies to Rs.3.3 trillion, power minister Piyush Goyal said in a tweet on Friday. According to a government official, who asked not to be identified, the eight states raised Rs.99,541 crore in 2015-16 under the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY), approved by the Union cabinet on 5 November 2015. Read More

Cities battling severe water shortage: poll
More than half the respondents to an instaVaani-Mint survey said their neighbourhoods are battling water shortages, as the country braces for a warmer-than-normal summer. This comes as the IMD (India Meteorological Department) on Thursday in their first summer forecast said that India is likely to see a warmer than normal summer this year. Read More

What do the opinion polls say?
As four states and one union territory head to poll between 4 April and 5 May, opinion polls have predicted a win for the ruling parties in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu and opposition parties in Assam and Kerala. Read More

Growth and happiness
Adding another index, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday, he announced a “happiness ministry” to track growth. He said, “The state will be made responsible for happiness and tolerance of its citizens and will rope in psychologists to counsel people how to be always happy.” Read More

Pretika Khanna

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