AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 9814 - Virtual network operators, Aadhaar will create robust digital platform: Ravi Shankar Prasad

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, April 14, 2016

9814 - Virtual network operators, Aadhaar will create robust digital platform: Ravi Shankar Prasad - Financial Express

Virtual network operators, Aadhaar will create robust digital platform: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Even as the country’s top mobile operators are busy rolling out their 4G services to offer high-speed data to the consumers, communications & IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is working on alternate models to enhance digital delivery.

By: Rishi Raj | New Delhi | April 11, 2016 6:22 AM

2 0 G+0 0

VNOs are not licensed telecom operators. They are players who are interested in consumer-facing businesses and have marketing abilities. (PTI)

In an interview with FE, Prasad said that with the recent approval by the telecom commission to allow virtual network operators (VNOs) in the country and Aadhaar accounts touching 100 crore, his five platforms for Digital India have taken shape which will be taken forward.

“The guidelines for VNOs will be unveiled shortly. I am going to take a flexible approach while making the guideline so that one VNO can tie-up with multiple network service operators. Also, if any network operator wants that only a part of a circle, say a district or a cluster of districts, is handed over to a VNO that will be allowed. We will explore newer models,” Prasad said.

VNOs are not licensed telecom operators. They are players who are interested in consumer-facing businesses and have marketing abilities. They buy bandwidth and airtime from licensed operators and retail them to consumers.

Though, India has allowed such players to provide services quite late, Prasad said that the way he’s devised his digital agenda they will be quite relevant and help in rural marketing. “Also they will enable weaker operators with spectrum, and here I include BSNL and MTNL, to utilise their infrastructure effectively,” Prasad said. “A weak operator can now have a choice between spectrum sharing, trading and VNOs to effectively utilise its infrastructure,” he added.

“I have provided Internet Service Providers’ licence to all common service centres (CSCs). All village post offices will also be turned into CSCs and in turn ISPs. These will be allowed to become VNOs. This combined infrastructure will create an alternate model of digital delivery. All this, infrastructure will give a leg up to rural marketing,” he said.

The five pillars of Prasad’s Digital delivery platform will thus be: a network of postal offices (125,000) with core banking facilities; a optic fibre network; CSCs (currently 83,000 to go up to 157,000); rural BPOs where government will provide a subsidy of R1 lakh per seat; and VNOs. The platform thus created by the synergy of these five will be facilitated by Aadhar.

“The platform thus created will be free to explore entrepreneurial ways to maximise their earnings and reach. They will be free to strike alliances with private parties. Am sure, e-commerce firms, broadband firms will tap into them to maximise their reach in rural areas. They will also provide employment,” Prasad said.

Pointing towards the huge potential this platform will have in the form of digital delivery, literacy and employment, Prasad said, “Just see the scope, for payment bank all major insurance firms (barring LIC) and private banks (domestic as well as foreign) have shown interest in partnering with India Post.”