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, May 30, 2016

10042 - Two years on, NDA govt’s relationship with key stakeholders - Live Mint

Last Modified: Thu, May 26 2016. 08 08 AM IST

Two years on, NDA govt’s relationship with key stakeholders


From opposition parties and big business to citizens and NGOs, Mint takes a look at the NDA govt’s interactions


As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) completes two years in power, Mint takes a look at its relationship with key stakeholders.

The opposition
• Leader of opposition post: The Congress party was denied the post in Lok Sabha by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, citing lack of numbers.
• Opposition outreach: Ahead of the winter session of Parliament last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh to discuss parliamentary proceedings.
• Toppling elected governments: Congress and other opposition parties have criticized the BJP-led central government for political crises in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand
• Legislative business: Despite a widening political rift, opposition parties and the government came together to pass key bills, except the goods and services tax bill.

The judiciary
• Judicial appointments: The Supreme Court rejected any role for the executive in appointing judges to higher courts, saying the move infringes on judicial independence.
• On policy: On drought, bad loans and allocation of coal blocks, the apex court has criticized government policy.
• Political turmoil: The Supreme Court will rule on role and powers of state governors, after President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand .
• Aadhaar: Supreme Court set to decide if privacy is a fundamental right under the Constitution. Ruling could either strengthen or completely weaken Aadhaar.
• Freedom of speech, right to dissent: The apex court upheld the criminal law related to defamation while scrapping Section 66A of Information Technology Act that reduced free speech.

Citizens
• Social media connect: Direct information flow from government to citizens through social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. The government has used these platforms to issue official press statements, clarify positions and resolve complaints.
• Mann ki Baat: Modi started addressing the nation on All India Radio from 3 October, 2014, including messages and suggestions from listeners across the country.
• Grievance redressal: The government launched a mobile application to redress grievances relating to all central public entities, called CPGRAMS.
• Transparency: Most government departments upload minutes of official meetings, communications to state agencies and regularly update statistics about various performance goals like power capacity addition.
• mygov.in: Policy proposals are uploaded here, and the public can give suggestions, participate in discussions and share experiences.
• Apps: Real-time information on status of rural electrification, payment of wages, etc., via mobile apps.

Activists and NGOs
• Leaked intelligence report in June 2014 suggested foreign-funded non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were hurting India’s development.
• Crackdown on NGOs. Licences of over 10,000 revoked.
• Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai offloaded from a London-bound flight.
• Intolerance debate: Dozens of authors and artists return awards saying government was not controlling rising intolerance.

Right-wing groups
• Debate around beef ban.
• Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) controversy: BJP’s student group led campaign against JNU student’s union office-bearers, accusing them of making anti-national comments.
• Opposition from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated groups like the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh over labour reforms and the reduction in provident fund interest rates.
• Opposition from Swadeshi Jagran Manch, another RSS affiliate, over commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops.

Support base
• Stand-up India scheme to create jobs and promote entrepreneurship among women, scheduled castes and tribes by helping them get easier loans from Rs.10 lakh to Rs.1 crore.
• Mahila E-haat: An online marketing platform for women entrepreneurs.
• Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana: Another financial inclusion scheme, providing loans between Rs.50,000 and Rs.10 lakh to small entrepreneurs.
• Nai Manzil, a skill development scheme for girls from minority communities.

Big business
• Telecom: Inheriting a sector that was marred by controversies and scams, the NDA government established a rules-based regime in the telecom sector. The 2015-16 spectrum auction garnered Rs.1.09 trillion, giving credence to the national auditor’s claim that allocation of spectrum had caused substantial losses to the national exchequer.
• Coal: Like in telecom, coal auctions were also transparent and the total proceeds from it crossed Rs.2 trillion.
• Real estate: The government passed the real estate bill in Parliament. It brings much-needed transparency in the sector, hold builders accountable and seeks to protect home buyers. For builders, it provides speedy clearances, standardization and simplification of procedures.
• Information technology: The 2014 BJP election manifesto promised to make every household digitally empowered. The Digital India programme aims to create “broadband highways” of 600,000km across the country. The scheme has attracted attention of multinational firms such as Google Inc. and Facebook Inc.
• Automobiles: The NDA government promised to make automobiles a lynchpin of manufacturing in India. But, it has paved the way to ensure that Indian automobiles meet the highest regulatory norms. It announced that India will move to Bharat Stage VI emission norms in 2020, skipping the Bharat Stage V, in order to tackle pollution.
• Steel: Keeping its promise of protecting the domestic industry, the government introduced a 20% safeguard duty on steel imports. The government also raised basic customs duties on steel twice in June and in August last year by 2.5% each time.
• Oil and gas: The government has linked the price of diesel to market prices, and prospectively replaced the existing profit-sharing arrangement in hydrocarbon exploration with a revenue-sharing formula. It also put in place a transparent single licence and policy framework for oil, gas and coal-bed methane exploration in the country. The government also allowed a liberal pricing formula for natural gas to be recovered from deep, ultra-deep, high tension and high temperature areas. The move is expected to benefit ONGC, Reliance Industries and GSPC.
• E-commerce: The government has allowed 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in online retail of goods and services under the marketplace model through the automatic route. It also allowed 100% FDI in marketing of food products produced and manufactured in India. In November last year, the government also allowed a manufacturer to sell its products manufactured in India through retail e-commerce.
• Aviation: A new aviation policy, showcasing key areas of reform, is ready for clearance by the Union cabinet. The main proposals of the policy include allowing new airlines to fly abroad, the introduction of more regional flights and a new formula for granting bilateral flying rights.

State governments
• Recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission were accepted, increasing states’ share in central taxes to 42% from 32%.
• Number of centrally sponsored schemes cut from 72 to less than 30, giving more flexibility to states to decide on schemes as per their requirements.
• Consensus on the goods and services tax between the centre and states, with the latter signing off on the Constitution amendment bill for the ambitious tax reform.
• Political flash points in Centre-state relationships.
• President’s Rule imposed in Uttarakhand, citing a constitutional breakdown following a rebellion in the ruling Congress party.
• President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh after 32 Congress legislators tried to topple the Congress state government.
• Delhi government moves Supreme Court against centre after home ministry notification 21 May giving the lieutenant-governor additional powers.
• Uttar Pradesh refuses a water train sent by the centre for its parched region of Bundelkhand, saying the state needed tankers, not trains.
• CBI raids Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh’s house and 12 other addresses associated with him. Congress calls it political vendetta.

Remya Nair

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