10538 - Government To Start Distribution Of Pulses Through Post Offices - NDTV

Government To Start Distribution Of Pulses Through Post Offices

All India | Press Trust of India | Updated: October 15, 2016 17:51 IST

JAMMU:  To keep a check on hoarding and black marketing of pulses across the country, the Union Government will soon start distribution of pulses through post offices.

"In the past, we have seen that the cost of pulses increased manifold due to black marketing and hoarding so the Union Government has decided to sell pulses through post offices whenever the need arises," Minister of Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters in Jammu today.

He said post offices were spread in the entire length and breadth of the country and can easily be used for the purpose of selling pulses at government rates.

"There is a huge network of post offices in the country, every village has a post office and whenever the need arises, we can use them to sell pulses. The required infrastructure is already available with the Centre and decision in this regard has already been taken," he

said.

The government has taken various measures against hoarders and black marketers due to which the prices of pulses have come down, he said.

The Government has started the process of linking the Aadhaar cards with ration card and so far 69 per cent of the task has been completed. He said so far two crore fake ration cards have been detected across the country.

"Around 10 crore people were getting ration on these fake ration cards which is a very huge number. Online allocation of food grains has been made for every state to maintain transparency," he said.

10537 - Govt plans all social security for workers - Business Standard

Govt plans all social security for workers

Rules being drafted, to also cover unorganised sector; maternity benefit, old age pension, sickness allowance to be included

Arindam Majumder  |  New Delhi 

October 16, 2016 Last Updated at 22:51 IST

The Union government plans a massive social security coverage scheme for 450 million workers, primarily for those in the unorganised sector. Formal sector workers who do not enjoy the benefits will also be a part of it. FOR THE BETTER? What is the plan? Universal social security coverage for informal and formal sector workforce What are the benefits? Benefits include monetary allowances for preventive medical care, sickness unemployment, old age, employment injury, maternity, invalidity How will the target workforce be ...

10536 - Fair price shop dealers in Hyderabad turn high-tech, commit ration fraud - Nyooz.com

Fair price shop dealers in Hyderabad turn high-tech, commit ration fraud

• TOI Delhi Sat,15 Oct 2016

Summary: Your suspension order should be clear about all these aspects, it added. But you referred to the Tahsildar procedure in your suspension order and now talking about the state power, the bench said. 

HYDERABAD: Ten fair price shop dealers in Nizamabad urban revenue division are now facing a peculiar charge that they created bogus ration cards by using computer technology and are claiming the ration on these non-existent names. The counsel for the dealers Ravi Kiran Rao told the court that the authorities have acted in a unilateral way. But the Revenue authorities have found out the fraud on the basis of code numbers allotted by the Telangana government to each district and the unique identity numbers to each family after its Samagra Kutumba Survey (SKS).

Since the dealers are now under an obligation to mention both the code numbers and the unique identity numbers, they furnished fictitious names of individuals and fake aadhaar numbers.However, they ignored the fact that each district has a unique code.

Nizamabad's code is NZU. But in the dynamic key register supplied to them, they entered codes pertaining to B series whose districts are located in the state of AP. Basing on this, the authorities have verified the records and came to a conclusion that the dealers have colluded with the computer operators who man the civil supplies department's electronic public distribution system website for interpolating the names and codes in the dynamic key register. 

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Fair-price-shop-dealers-in-Hyderabad-turn-high-tech-commit-ration-fraud/articleshow/54862723.cms

10535 - USAID, Finance Ministry bring Catalyst for digital payments in India - Economic Times

USAID, Finance Ministry bring Catalyst for digital payments in India

By Mugdha Variyar, ET Bureau | Updated: Oct 18, 2016, 02.28 PM IST

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BENGALURU: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the launch of a new initiative, called Catalyst, on Friday, in partnership with the Indian finance ministry, to scale digital payments systems in India. The project will be implemented in a single city as a pilot to increase digital payments before it is taken to other cities. 

Badal Malick, who was till last month the vice-president of omnichannel strategy at online marketplace Snapdeal, has been appointed the CEO for Catalyst, while Alok Gupta, who was a member of the original Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) team that developed and implemented Aadhaar, has been appointed Director of Project Incubation. 

So far, six cities have been shortlisted, including Indore, Visakhapatanam, Kota, Jaipur, Bhopal and Nagpur, of which one will be chosen for the project. The criteria for shortlisting these cities were the level of smartphone penetration, digital finance penetration, mobilization of merchants in the local economy, and administrative feasibility, the team said. Once the city is chosen, ground operations will start by the end of this year, Malick said. 

"This is an exciting time to get into digital payments. While there been core technology development through the India stack as well as a concerted push for digital payments by the government, there is still a last mile gap when it comes to merchant acceptance and coordination issues. We want to bring a holistic ecosystem approach to these problems," Malick said 

"The goal is to take one city and increase the digital payments 10x in six to 12 months," said Maluick. 

The Catalyst team, which includes about 10 members, will be housed at the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) and will be supported through USAID’s Mobile Solutions Technical Assistance and Research (mSTAR) program. The total funding for Catalyst, which USAID has made a commitment for for three years, was not disclosed. 

"India is at the forefront of global efforts to digitize economies and create new economic opportunities that extend to hard-to-reach populations. Catalyst will support these efforts by focusing on the challenge of making everyday purchases cashless,” Ambassador Jonathan Addleton, USAID Mission Director to India said in a statement.

10534 - ‘Digital India’ to be theme for India International Trade Fair - Hindu Businessline

‘Digital India’ to be theme for India International Trade Fair

S RONENDRA SINGH

Govt to showcase success, involve public to highlight Digital India programme

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 14:  

The 36th edition of India International Trade Fair (IITF), one of the biggest fair held in India, will have ‘Digital India’ as its theme this year,

This will be for the second time that the fair, which is annually held between November 14 and November 27, will have a theme based on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet projects. The theme for last year (35th edition) was ‘Make in India’.

According to sources from the government, the theme pavilion would be developed in hall number one in Pragati Maidan, and communication has been sent to all State Chief Secretaries and Secretaries of Line ministries for showcasing Digital India initiatives.

“There will be industry interaction via seminars, panel discussion and tech-talks during at the event. Success stories of grass root level contributors/ achievers of Digital India movement, especially by women and backward section of the society, will also be highlighted during the event days,” said one of the source.

There will also be games/ demonstration of services/ highlight of achievements till now and also awareness programmes like ‘Digi Swachha Abhiyaan’ – e-Waste collection and contest/ quiz on social media, said an official.

“With around 1.50 lakh footfalls expected per day during this 14-day event, the government wants to showcase the meaning and impact of DI on women, students, dalits, farmers, employment and many others to be woven into a story,” said one source.

Digital India is one of the biggest programmes of the Modi government and has achieved manifold successes in each project under DI such as Mera Aadhaar, Meri Sarkar (MyGov) and Mera Digital Locker.

For example, there have been 103 crore Indians enrolled with Aadhaar number, more than 35 lakh are using MyGov to assist government and more than 20 lakh people have stored and shared two or more documents through ‘Digital Locker’.

“When I see IT products for common people like e-scholarship, e-hospital and Jeevan Praman, I get personal satisfaction and Digital India on an automatic role,” Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of IT and Law, told BusinessLine saying he appreciates the people involved in these projects.

(This article was published on October 14, 2016)

10533 - End kerosene subsidy, start big fuel reforms - Economic Times Blog

End kerosene subsidy, start big fuel reforms

October 15, 2016, 1:27 AM IST ET Edit in ET Editorials | Economy, Edit Page, India | ET

Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan expects kerosene subsidy to fall this year with increased supply of cooking gas and rural electrification. The drop in the consumption of a sooty, polluting fuel is happy news. But the leaky subsidy regime needs rigorous reform and, eventually, the subsidy tap turned off. Subsidised kerosene sells at a huge discount to the market price. It is largely diverted to adulterate petrol and diesel, which damages engines and intensifies pollution. The dual pricing of kerosene should end. The use of Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts to transfer the subsidy to all poor households, akin to that for cooking gas, makes eminent sense. It will exorcise ghost subscribers and allow the government to scrap product subsidy, with its inherent potential for diversion and other misuse. Actually, with electricity and cooking gas reaching many more households, much more subsidised kerosene will be used to adulterate petrol and diesel.

Subsidised kerosene should be substituted with solar lanterns to cut pollution. It also cuts costs, given that there are no recurring expenses in solar lamps. A Tufts University study last year showed that the Centre’s scheme for subsidising solar products is fettered by the reluctance of companies to go through the complex procedure of getting reimbursements from the government. The answer is to use Aadhaar-seeded bank accounts for subsidy disbursement. Solar power should be funded with resolve to boost local manufacture of solar panels, LEDs and batteries.

Of the Centre’s petroleum subsidy of Rs 26,947 crore for this fiscal year, kerosene accounts for Rs 7,144 crore and cooking gas Rs 19,802 crore. A reduction in kerosene supply, coupled with small increases in retail prices, is expected to lower kerosene subsidy by 25% this year. The Centre needs to phase out the subsidy on cooking gas as well for everyone except the poor. A proactive policy to phase out kerosene subsidies and to rationalise taxes by removing the special excise duty on petrol will bring diesel, petrol and kerosene prices close to one another. The larger point is to end the long era of distorted petroleum pricing.

This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Economic Times.

10532 - NEC Celebrates as Aadhaar Marches Beyond Billionth Enrolment - Find Biometrics

NEC Celebrates as Aadhaar Marches Beyond Billionth Enrolment

Posted on October 14, 2016

“NEC’s technology is a cornerstone of the program, enabling the use of multiple biometric modalities—face, fingerprint, and iris—to ensure that individuals aren’t registered twice.”

NEC is celebrating the dramatic growth of India’s Aadhaar system.

It’s the biggest and perhaps the most ambitious national biometric ID program in the world. Part of a larger ‘Digital India’ initiative, Aadhaar is meant to provide a reliable, unified ID system that citizens can use to access a range of civil services, from accessing community housing to everyday ATM banking.

NEC’s technology is a cornerstone of the program, enabling the use of multiple biometric modalities—face, fingerprint, and iris—to ensure that individuals aren’t registered twice. As NEC’s Noritaka Taguma explains, “NEC’s biometrics identification system helps to stop people from pretending to be others, while simplifying procedures by checking the information of people seeking to register for the Aadhaar Program with greater accuracy and efficiency.”

The system can register a million people per day, and it’s worth noting that Aadhaar saw its billionth registration earlier this year. It’s a high-profile showcase of biometric technology, and an approach to citizen ID that could be emulated by other countries impressed by Aadhaar’s example.

–

October 14, 2016 – by Alex Perala

10531 - How the Indian state is building a new generation of digital public goods - Live Mint

Last Modified: Fri, Oct 14 2016. 02 25 PM IST

How the Indian state is building a new generation of digital public goods

The private sector’s critical role in the digital age has complicated the position of the state

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Livemint

Nandan Nilekani has used a fine analogy to compare the new digital payments network in India with its peers in other parts of the world. He told this newspaper that the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is like a highway without tolls while countries such as China or the US have walled gardens in which private companies control access to payments networks. Nilekani has touched upon an issue that we had commented on in these columns earlier.

Economists had been undecided during the heated debates on Net neutrality whether the Internet is a private good, a club good or a public good. Some clarity on this technical issue is of prime importance for contemporary public policy. These three categories of goods can be explained using the same motoring analogy that Nilekani used. A car is a private good. A toll road is a club good. An open road is a public good.

These distinctions are drawn based on two concerns—whether anybody can be excluded from using it and whether its use by one person reduces the availability for another person. These are, respectively, the conditions of non-rivalrous and non-excludable use.

A car is a private good because it can be used only by a few people while others cannot use it at the same time. A toll road is a club good because it excludes people who do not pay the mandatory levy while its use by one person does not reduce availability to other people once the toll has been paid. A regular road is a public good because it neither excludes anybody nor is its use rivalrous.

UPI has the features of a public good. It has an open architecture that others in the financial sector can build products on. The rest of the world depends on private networks that are club goods—you can come into the system after paying a toll to the company that has built the network. The toll operator not only allows you to come in after payment but also has the power to choose on your behalf which restaurant or motel to use during your journey.

In the Indian case, the combination of UPI with another open platform—Aadhaar—means that there is explosive potential once network effects come into play. The move to a cashless society in India is not exactly around the corner, since India still has one of the highest rates of cash usage as a proportion of its gross domestic product. However, that does not take away from the transformative potential of the UPI-Aadhaar combination.

That leads to another issue that casts light on the role of the state in the digital economy.

The traditional theory of public finance says that public goods should be owned by the state. It is slightly more complicated in the digital world, where digital platforms are created by private companies that need to collect tolls to make their innovations pay off. The sheer speed of innovation means that the state cannot take over the job of creating digital platforms that are free of tolls. On the other hand, network effects also create monopolies in the digital world, as was repeatedly pointed out in the landmark browser battle between Microsoft and Netscape at the turn of the century.

The Indian government has—either accidentally or otherwise—placed itself at the centre of this public policy issue. There are at least three digital public goods it has created that come to mind—Aadhaar, UPI and the National Agriculture Market. There are no gatekeepers who will collect tolls for either using these platforms or to build products on them. The question is: Should the government try to nurture new age public sector companies such as the National Payments Corporation of India, the creator of UPI, rather than endlessly subsidize the lumbering public sector dinosaurs of the planning era?

There are no easy answers, since there is cracking tension between the need to build digital public goods on the principle of open access while at the same time being sensitive to the fact that the rapid innovations of today are not possible without the private sector. These are issues that the Indian government will have to think about in the coming years: open roads or walled gardens?

Who do you think has the greater role in a digital era—the government or the private sector? Tell us at views@livemint.com

Livemint

10530 - Racket thrives as officials turn blind eye to fake Aadhaar data - Deccan Herald

Racket thrives as officials turn blind eye to fake Aadhaar data

P M Raghunandan, October 13, 2016, Bengaluru, DHNS

45,000 bogus ration cards detected in Bengaluru alone

The racket of linking fictitious ‘Aadhaar’ numbers to generate bogus Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration cards has come as a shock to the state government.

Recently, the Food and Civil Supplies department had proudly announced having achieved about 98% seeding of all BPL cards with the Aadhaar number. Doubts are now being raised on the accuracy of the Aadhaar-seeded ration card data. Currently, the state has 1.05 crore BPL cards.

The state had about 1.09 crore ration cards before the exercise to link the Aadhaar numbers was taken up. Ration supplied through a BPL card carries a subsidy of Rs 800 per month on an average.

The modus operandi of the racket is simple: Invalid and fake 12-digit numbers are linked with bogus ration cards. In some cases the Aadhaar numbers of unknown persons are linked with bogus cards to make them appear as genuine Aadhaar-seeded ration cards. The Food Inspectors, who are supposed to verify authenticity of Aadhaar-seeded ration cards data, have turned a blind eye in all these cases, sources in the Food and Civil Supplies department said.

The racket came to light recently after a team of officials led by department Secretary Harsh Gupta raided some fair price shops in Bengaluru. For instance, a shop at Aruna Veerapura in Bengaluru North taluk had 708 bogus ration cards.

Surprisingly, all the 708 cards were seeded with the same Aadhaar number.
And, the Aadhaar number was of a certain Yeshpal who had obtained the franchise to distribute ration coupons to beneficiaries. Yeshpal is a relative of the fair price shop owner.

In Bengaluru alone, more than 45,000 bogus cards covering about 300 fair price shops have been found so far. Similar cases have surfaced in Mysuru, Hubbali-Dharwad, Tumakuru and other cities and towns.

A team of department officials, including the Secretary, have been working overtime verifying the data and digging out bogus ration cards. The team was working even on Wednesday despite it being a government holiday, Gupta said.

The random verification is being done only with regard to 31 lakh BPL cards existing in the limits of urban local bodies, including Bengaluru. The department has introduced the coupon system in these areas. A beneficiary has to produce ration coupon to the fair price shop owner to get the ration. The coupons can be collected either from the franchise or Bengaluru One centre.

Gupta said the department has drawn up a detailed plan to identify bogus ration cards. Directions have been issued to officials to slap criminal cases against all those found to be involved in this illegal act. Cases will be filed under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Essential Commodities Act and also the stringent Goonda Act, he added.

10529 - NEC notes contribution to Aadhaar programme progress - Planet Biometrics

NEC notes contribution to Aadhaar programme progress 

12 October 2016 14:30 GMT

- See more at: http://www.planetbiometrics.com/article-details/i/5103/desc/nec-notes-contribution-to-aadhaar-programme-progress/#sthash.OHLp6TJS.dpuf

Japanese tech firm NEC has noted its biometric contribution to India’s Aadhaar unique ID programme, as the initiative registers over 1 billion users. NEC noted in a statement that it provides a large-scale biometrics identification system that utilizes fingerprints, face images, and iris images for this national identification system. 

IDAI is promoting the Aadhaar Program to gather and manage the names, addresses and biometric information of people in India in an effort to create a society in which the entire nation can enjoy equal access to public and financial services. Once a person registers for the system, he or she will receive an individual 12-digit number (ID). 

Public organizations and banks will use these numbers to identify people when they apply to receive social security benefits or open bank accounts. NEC's large-scale biometrics identification system uses three types of biometric information-fingerprints, face images, and iris images-to prevent people from being registered twice. This system can handle more than one million registrations per day by checking the registered biometric information for more than one billion people and comparing it to the biometric information of people seeking to register. "It is important to make sure that the same ID is not issued twice in order to maintain a highly reliable national identification system," said, Noritaka Taguma, General Manager, Transportation and City Infrastructure Division, NEC Corporation. 

"NEC's biometrics identification system helps to stop people from pretending to be others, while simplifying procedures by checking the information of people seeking to register for the Aadhaar Program with greater accuracy and efficiency." 

NEC's fingerprint and face identification technologies ranked first in the benchmark tests conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States. In addition, NEC also adjusted the identification algorithms for the biometric system for the Aadhaar Program in an effort to improve its identification accuracy. 

- See more at: http://www.planetbiometrics.com/article-details/i/5103/desc/nec-notes-contribution-to-aadhaar-programme-progress/#sthash.OHLp6TJS.dpuf

10528 - Fake Aadhaar numbers used in PDS - Deccan Herald

Fake Aadhaar numbers used in PDS

P M Raghunandan, Bengaluru, Oct 13, 2016, DHNS

The Food and Civil Supplies Department has stumbled upon a major racket of linking fictitious Aadhaar numbers with bogus Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration cards with an intention to siphon off the highly subsidised food grains distributed under the Anna Bhagya scheme.

The department has unearthed about 1.6 lakh bogus BPL cards that were seeded with fictitious Aadhaar numbers after conducting a random verification of ration cards in the past three days.

“It appears to be a large-scale irregularity involving the government officials and owners of fair price shops. We will recommend to the government to order a high-level enquiry into it. We have also decided to get a quality check done of the Aadhaar data the department has collected from the Unique Identification Authority of India,” department Secretary Harsh Gupta told DH.

The racket came to light recently after a team of officials led by Gupta raided some fair price shops in Bengaluru.
  

10527 - Submit Aadhaar to get LPG subsidy arrears - Deccan Herald

Submit Aadhaar to get LPG subsidy arrears

P M Raghunandan, October 12, 2016, Bengaluru, DHNS

Oil companies had withheld refund to those who didn't provide numbers by July

 Domestic LPG customers can claim subsidy for refills that they got since July this year, if they submit the Aadhaar number to the LPG distributor before December this year.

Oil marketing companies – Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPC) – had suspended payment of subsidy to customers who had failed to submit Aadhaar numbers before July this year. But the companies have deposited the subsidy amount of their non-Aadhaar customers in a separate bank account.

“The Centre recently issued a notification making Aadhaar number mandatory for domestic LPG customers to avail subsidy on the refill supply from December this year. Hence, those who submit the Aadhaar number before December will get subsidy for all refills supplied to them since July this year. Those who submit Aadhaar after the deadline will not get this benefit,” IOC assistant general manager (LPG) Abhijit Dey said.

Karnataka has around 1.10 crore domestic LPG customers. Of these, about 95% have submitted Aadhaar numbers. Oil companies deposit the subsidy amount directly to the customers’ Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. However, a large number of customers are not getting subsidy due to some technical glitches in linking Aadhaar numbers with the bank account. With the subsidy amount on an LPG refill coming down to less than Rs 100 in recent months, many customers are not aware that they are not getting the subsidy in their bank account. Currently, a domestic LPG refill in Bengaluru carries a subsidy of Rs 63.77.

This apart, the Centre is likely to launch the Ujjwala scheme, to provide free LPG connections to non-LPG below poverty line (BPL) families in the state from November this year. Oil companies have so far received around two lakh applications for connections under the scheme. The LPG connections will be sanctioned to woman members of the BPL families under the Ujjwala programme, official sources in the IOC said.

On Centre’s footsteps

The state government will follow the Centre’s policy of making Aadhaar number mandatory for availing subsidy schemes. The Food and Civil Supplies department has almost completed linking all BPL ration cards with Aadhaar numbers, while the Revenue department is in the process of collecting the unique identity number from all beneficiaries of social security pensions.

When contacted, Food and Civil Supplies department Secretary Harsh Gupta said the department is awaiting approval from the government to make Aadhaar mandatory for issuing BPL ration cards. Close to 98% of BPL cards have already been linked to Aadhaar. About four lakh existing BPL cards have been found to be bogus and they will be cancelled once the government makes Aadhaar compulsory, he added.

The Revenue department has set February next year as the deadline to the Directorate of Social Security Pensions to collect Aadhaar numbers from all 52 lakh beneficiaries, official sources in the government said.

Graceperiod

Karnataka has around 1.10 crore domestic LPG customer and about 95% have submitted Aadhaar numbers

The government currently gives 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rates per household in a year.

The subsidy on every cylinder is transferred in advance directly into bank accounts of individuals, who then buy the cooking fuel at market rates.

A domestic LPG refill in Bengaluru carries a subsidy of Rs 63.77

Oil companies have so far received around two lakh applications for connections under the Ujjwala scheme

10526 - Despite glitches, government plans to introduce Aadhaar authentication at health centers- Scroll.In

IDENTITY PROJECT

Despite glitches, government plans to introduce Aadhaar authentication at health centers

Health activists say this will exclude the poor, and burden short-staffed facilities.

    Image credit:  Anumeha Yadav

Oct 12, 2016 · 02:30 pm  

Anumeha Yadav and Menaka Rao

After using Aadhaar on a national scale in the public distribution system at rations shops, the central government now plans to use the biometrics-based Unique Identity system at health facilities from next year. But the scheme has thrown up questions about whether it will create more barriers to access healthcare to those who need it most.

In a significant remodeling of the public health system, Aadhaar numbers will be used as unique patient identifiers in a new electronic health records system, said officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. National identification numbers will be created and assigned to all health facilities, beginning with public facilities.

“When a patient goes to a health facility, they will be asked to provide their Aadhaar number and either verify themselves by placing their fingerprints on a device kept there, or do a one-time password authentication sent on mobile,” said Sunil Sharma, joint secretary in the health ministry. “Aadhaar authentication will allow the patients access to their own health records, which will be portable and accessible online.”

Sharma added that a procedure will be laid down for doctors and insurance providers to authorise use of health records in cases like accidents where a patient is unable to provide authorisation.

The ministry is already collecting Aadhaar numbers of patients and “seeding” or linking the unique identity numbers to patient records in a few states. It plans to begin implementing the new system by June 2017. Sharma said that if a person does not have an Aadhaar number, then alternate IDs such as ration card, voter identity card will be allowed in the interim.

“No one will be denied medical treatment,” he said. 

Pilots in states

Ministry officials say that health records stored in information exchanges will reduce cost and duplication as well as inconvenience to patients when they consult more than one doctor. The electronic record will include previous medical history, procedures undergone, diagnosis, drugs prescribed, and which hospitals visited accessible on a cloud-based e-application.

The health ministry had notified Electronic Health Records standards for India in 2013, which were reviewed by an expert group in 2015. In May this year, the ministry put the revised standards up for public comment and consultation. According to this policy paper, the electronic health records will aim to provide a “summary of various clinical events in the life of a person”. In this system, the paper elaborates, Aadhaar will be the “preferred identifier” when available, but in the absence of an Aadhaar number, two other identities, “local Identifier (as per scheme used by health care service providers)", and any central or state government issued photo identity card numbers may be used.

Under the National Rural Health Mission of 2005, Health Management Information Systems(HMIS) have already been created in states. The new standards, the document notes, aim to facilitate “interoperability”, which means the ability of various systems to share, exchange, and interpret shared data.

The Aadhaar-based programme is being funded under National Health Mission. Following a circular issued by the health ministry, some states are in the process of setting up systems to collect Aadhaar data for patients undergoing treatment in National Health Mission schemes. These include immunisation, maternal health schemes, communicable and non-communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, diabetes, vector-borne diseases, mental health and others.

“We have identified facilities such as Patna Medical College, and a few district hospitals to start the programme,” said Dr Shashi Bhusan Kumar, director of the National Health Mission in Bihar. “We had a one-day training on October 7 for our district data entry operators. We plan to organise a workshop with National Informatics Centre for our staff.”

Kumar said that Aadhaar is currently not mandatory for registering under this system. "But we are emphasising that patients get it," he said. "We are organising camps for patients to register for Aadhaar.”

In Madhya Pradesh, the collection of Aadhaar data of those seeking medical care will be started on a pilot basis in two districts, according to Kiran Gopal, the state's National Health Mission director. “We plan to use Aadhaar as an identifier for the Anmol programme, focused on ante-natal care of pregnant women," he said. "In this, 16,000 auxiliiary nurse and midwives will have an e-tablet which will track the services for pregnant women.”

Dr Saransh Mitter, Chhattisgarh director of National Health Mission, said the state had not yet received any communication on the Electronic Health Record scheme from the centre. “In villages, internet connectivity, and lack of infrastructure will be an issue,” he said.

Besides state departments, Aadhaar data is also being collected for treatment in some national health programmes.

“We are encouraging people living with HIV who come to antiretroviral treatment centres to enroll in Aadhaar,” said Dr R S Gupta, who is deputy director general of the National Aids Control Organisation. “The ART centres will also help link patients who do not have Aadhaar to centers where they can register in Aadhaar.”

Barrier to access?

While the government policy document endorses the use of Aadhaar in the new Electronic Health Records system as an “empowering” tool for those seeking treatment, public health experts expressed concerns over the transition to the new system.

“Right now, the government is not able to set up a basic online transparent cross-facility referral system for free beds in private hospitals for economically weaker section patients who come to Delhi," said Dr Vandana Prasad, a pediatrician and national convener of Public Health Resources Network. "How are they going to create this state-of-the-art facility, from a village in Jharkhand to Delhi? Where are the funds going to come from?”

Prasad pointed out that despite a Health Management Information System being created in all states 10 years ago under the National Rural Health Mission, no proper system of referral existed within states. Basic data such as on births and deaths of infants and number and location of pregnant women was not maintained at district and village level because of shortage of staff and infrastructure.

"The main problem patients from economically poor sections face is not duplication, but lack of access to good quality health facilities," said Prasad. "They are sent from pillar to post without proper treatment, there are staff shortages and basic laboratory technicians are not hired. Most staff is contractualised, not paid on time, not trained. How will one Aadhaar number change all that?"

State officials who spoke to Scroll.in said that health departments planned to implement the new system with their existing staff working on collecting and entering data on Aadhaar numbers. This, though, may burden already short-staffed facilities.

As per health ministry data from 2014-'15 on health facilities in rural areas, which include public health centres, community health centres and sub-centres, there was a shortfall of 1.84 lakh staff of 4.92 sanctioned posts. That is a 37% shortage of health staff who are not doctors. These staff include auxiliary nurses and midwives, health workers, radiographers, laboratory technicians, pharmacists and nurses. Across India, 5,053 sub-centres or 3% of all facilities function without a auxiliary nurse and midwife or a health worker.

10525 - When will the Aadhaar based Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme be implemented? Find out here - Financial Express

When will the Aadhaar based Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme be implemented? Find out here

The government has set March 31, 2018 deadline to fully roll out Aadhaar-enabled Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for food, fertiliser and kerosene subsidies, which together account for more than 70% of the government’s annual R3-lakh-crore budget for various welfare payouts.

By: Prasanta Sahu | New Delhi | Updated: October 12, 2016 7:40 AM

Although the DBT transfers are gradually picking up, there is still a long way to go. The success would depend on integrating the subsidies on fertiliser, food and kerosene into the scheme.

The government has set March 31, 2018 deadline to fully roll out Aadhaar-enabled Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for food, fertiliser and kerosene subsidies, which together account for more than 70% of the government’s annual R3-lakh-crore budget for various welfare payouts.

Through the DBT platform, it has disbursed R32,141 crore benefits in the first five months of the current fiscal. This takes the total transfers via DBT since it was rolled out in a limited way in 2013 to close R1.4 lakh crore. Bulk of the transfers have been of LPG subsidy and the wage payments under the job guarantee programme.

Although the DBT transfers are gradually picking up, there is still a long way to go. The success would depend on integrating the subsidies on fertiliser, food and kerosene into the scheme. The government had earlier said welfare programmes other than the the above three subsidies would be linked to DBT by March 31, 2017. These include scholarship schemes, crop insurance, transfers related to skill development etc.

While DBT pilots are underway for food subsidy in several parts of the country since last year, the government rolled pilot on fertiliser subsidy in eight districts including four bordering Nepal and Bangladesh early this month. Kerosene DBT has been rolled out in four districts of Jharkhand on a pilot basis. The food subsidy, will be largely paid in cash in urban areas of the country while PDS’ will be automated by integrating Aadhaar of beneficiaries in rural parts of the country to give benefits in kind.

Beneficiaries getting subsidies through DBT into their bank accounts stood at 31.9 crore, out of which 23.24 crore or 73% were seeded with Aadhaar. However, the Centre transferred only 31% of R3,459 crore through the DBT platform in August 2016, using the Aadhaar Payment Bridge (APB) while the rest were transferred through bank accounts not linked with the unique number. The monthly transfers through DBT has been largely uneven — R9,155 crore in April while it was R5,941 crore in July this year, partly due to delayed disbursements, accounting flexibilities and seasonal nature of demands.

Keen to utilise the DBT platform to plug leakages in delivery of sundry benefits and doles, the government has already put 74 schemes on the DBT platform. The DBT enabler, JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile), has resulted in cumulative savings of R36,500 crore for the Centre in subsidies such as on cooking gas, food, wages under the employment guarantee Act etc.

The Centre has advised the states to use Aadhaar-based DBT platform for delivery of state-level benefits as provided in Section 7 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016. The section provides that the Centre/state may require individuals getting government benefits to undergo authentication or furnish Aadhaar number. The Act was passed by Parliament during the Budget session in the wake of the Supreme Court’s interim order against making Aadhaar mandatory for receiving such benefits. Out of the 128 crore population in the country, 83% or 1.06 crore are Aadhaar enrolled. The Centre is now making it mandatory to seed Aadhaar for government benefits.

The number of beneficiaries currently under different schemes are as follows: MGNREGS (11.02 crore), LPG-Pahal (17.48 crore), National Social Assistance Programme (2.94 crore), scholarship schemes (38.61 lakh) and others (34.66 lakh).

To reform the Public Distribution System (PDS) and Food Subsidy, it is targeting 100% Aadhaar-enabled ration cards for all beneficiaries for benefit transfers in kind. In the case of fertiliser, since subsidy components vary on different fertilisers, the government is looking at a seamless transfer to the DBT platform without altering the experience of farmers.

Kerosene subsidy, which is pegged to be about R7,000 crore in FY17, is deemed to be a dying benefit as consumers are being encouraged to shift to cleaner fuel such as LPG. Nonetheless, the benefit will be shifted to DBT platform as some far-flung areas where cooking gas is not yet available, may need it.

10524 - Aadhaar ‘must’ in petitions by runaway couples: HC - Tribune

Posted at: Oct 11, 2016, 2:18 AM; 

Aadhaar ‘must’ in petitions by runaway couples: HC

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 10

When Yo! Yo! Honey Singh doled out a list of essentials for his eloping girlfriend in his hit “Desi Kalakaar”, he mentioned an ID, passport, credit card and almost everything else, but the Aadhaar card. At that time, he had no way of knowing the Punjab and Haryana High Court would ask for the Aadhaar number from married couples and others seeking protection of life and personal liberty.

The Supreme Court, just around this time last year, had made it clear that the authorities cannot insist on a citizen to produce his Aadhaar card. But a notice issued by the  High Court Registrar-Judicial says the Aadhaar number is “required” to be furnished.

Registrar-General GS Gill, when contacted, said he would have a look at the notice, but had nothing to say as it was issued by the Registrar-Judicial. A senior functionary said the condition of furnishing the Aadhaar number was laid down to ascertain the identity of the married couple and others seeking High Court’s indulgence for their protection.

He said a case of fake identify had surfaced in the High Court on the judicial side, after which the matter was referred to a committee, which recommended submission of clear photographs and Aadhaar numbers.

He claimed the issue was raked up before the High Court on the administrative side by a lawyer and instructions had been issued to the “branch” concerned to accept petitions along with an affidavit on non-availability of the Aadhaar number. He agreed that necessary amendments in the notice on the High Court website had not been carried.

The move, however, has not gone down well with a section of advocates. Describing the condition as “tough”, they say couples on the run with people hunting for them cannot be expected to carry Aadhaar cards or even get affidavits prepared.

The notice titled “Advocates are requested to submit visible photographs revealing true identity of petitioners” mentions that Aadhaar number of the petitioners is also required to be furnished.

10523 - Almora temple makes Aadhaar cards mandatory for getting hitched - TNN

Almora temple makes Aadhaar cards mandatory for getting hitched

Arpita Chakrabarty | TNN | Updated: Oct 10, 2016, 10.27 AM IST

ALMORA: In order to check the problem of rising cases of underage marriages, priests at the Chitai Golu devta temple near Almora have decided to insist on seeing the couple's Aadhaar card before conducting the wedding. The temple sees about 400 marriages being solemnized in a year with nearly 4-5 marriages taking place every day during the months when the wedding season is on. Elaborating on the reasons for their decision, Hari Vinod Pant, the priest and treasurer of the temple committee said, "Since we organise a large number of marriages at the temple, it is very difficult sometimes to verify the name and address of the couple. Many couples come from outside the state to get married here and it not possible to verify whether the couples have met the minimum age requirements for marriage. There have been instances when couples who came to the temple were found to be underage and it turned out they had eloped to get married. There have also been cases of Nepalese underage girls coming here to get married. So the temple committee took the decision of checking Aadhaar cards before agreeing to conduct the wedding." 

According to local belief, having a marriage solemnized in the temple is considered auspicious as it is believed that the newly-weds would be blessed by Golu devta, considered the god of justice in Kumaon.

Interestingly, temple officials said that they would insist on checking only Aadhaar cards and not any other proof of identity like voter ID card or PAN card. "Aadhar card has a great deal of composite information like name, age, father's name, address and is a trustworthy identity proof. That is why, we have decided that couples should bring their Aadhaar cards along with them."

In case the couple aspiring to get married doesn't have Aadhaar cards made, Pant said that they can take a decision on "whether we can solemnize their wedding provided any member of the temple committee knows either the bride or groom or their family and is satisfied that they have met the requirements for marriage."

10522 - GST will boost Indian economy by 1.5%, says Nirmala Sitaraman - TNN

GST will boost Indian economy by 1.5%, says Nirmala Sitaraman

TNN | Updated: Oct 9, 2016, 12.46 AM IST

CHENNAI: India is likely to achieve 8% GDP by the fiscal end, thanks to the boost given by initiatives such as Make in India, Union minister of state for commerce and industry Nirmala Sitaraman has said. "With Jan Dhan scheme, Aadhaar, better mobile connectivity and direct benefits transfer, India is on a fast growth track,"she said. 

The minister talked of cab aggregator Uber's initiative 'Uber-Pitch' which allows startups to pitch their ideas to venture capitalists (VC) and investors. "We are open to tying up with more technology platforms for good ideas to emerge. When it comes to startups we want to talk facilitation more than regulation," said Sitaraman, at a lecture organised by the Chennai International Centre in the city on Saturday. 

On the industry's demand to levy extra duty on cheap Chinese imports, the minister said that cheaper import of raw materials has made it possible for many small and medium enterprises to flourish, in turn creating jobs.

"Outright ban on imports in rubber, steel, copper, pepper and other commodities is not possible. We might look at putting protectionist policies in place, but within a timeframe. The industry has to be resilient from within. I do understand the concerns of large manufacturers, who fear the flood of cheap imports eating into their profit margins," said the minister.

On the rubber industry in south India, the minister said, "We have to be realistic. India does not produce enough rubber to meet its own requirements."

Hailing the Goods and Service Tax Bill, she said digitisation of all records will be one of the main drivers of GST. "Once GST comes into being, the Indian economy will be boosted by 1.5%"

10521 - One platform, multiple benefits - Business Standard

One platform, multiple benefits

Financial institutions can attract customers at a low cost by using the IndiaStack platform. Being entirely paperless, an individual can also quickly open a new account

Naveen Kukreja 

October 8, 2016 

The government and a digital think-tank called i-Spirit (comprising people who built the government's Aadhaar initiative) are working together on a technology called IndiaStack. This has the potential to bring down costs involved in financial transactions, make account opening with banks, mutual funds, etc, easy, and also make the process paperless and quicker. The technology platform also has the potential to bring down cash transactions in the economy.

How it works

IndiaStack is structured as a four-layered pyramid, where all or a combination of these can work together.

Aadhaar-based digital identity: The first layer will provide a universal biometric digital identity, based on your Aadhaar details. This will enable online authentication through the fingerprint or iris.

Digital locker: The second layer provides a safe deposit locker for storing critical documents. These can include your Aadhaar details, PAN details or even your child's school report cards. An individual can access these documents from anywhere and digitally send these to a bank or to any other financial institution for documentation and verification.

Digital signature: The third layer is the digital signature. This will eliminate the need to physically sign documents for opening bank accounts, applying for loans or credit cards, or even for investing in mutual funds. Instead, you will be able to sit in the comfort of your home or office and sign the documents without actually printing them. These three layers will help create a paperless and presence-less banking system.

Payment interface: The fourth layer consists of the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) built by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). This layer is aimed at making money transfers as simple as sending a text message or an e-mail. Unlike the current money transfer systems, where you have to type your card details, user names or net banking/wallet password, UPI system only requires your bank-provided virtual payment address (like amit@xyzbank) and a mobile banking PIN (MPIN). UPI enables seamless movement of funds between people, banks and mobile wallets, thereby incentivising use of digital payments, rather than cash.

Makes your life easy

Consider the case of Saurabh Bhatia, a grocery store owner, who wants to open a bank account. He has been postponing this task, as he will need to visit a bank at a time when he is needed at his shop. He will also need to carry original and photocopies of documents to provide proof of identity and address, then wait for the bank to process his request. It will take him at least a couple of working days to get an operational account.

His store being small, Bhatia's customers pay in cash for mostly small-value transactions. He doesn't use card-based payment as it is an added cost to his business. But, he will need to visit the bank every time he needs to deposit money. Hassles like these cause entrepreneurs like Bhatia to prefer cash over formal banking channels. It also means they don't have a proper banking history, a hindrance for accessing bank credit. IndiaStack has the potential to manage all the worries of someone like Bhatia.

First of all, the platform will do away with the requirement of presenting original documents for KYC processing. The system will allow Bhatia to directly produce the documents from his digital locker to the banks. The digital locker will further solve his problem of safekeeping and allow anytime access to important documents. With the digital signature feature, he can sign-off on loan documents or KYC-related documents without worrying about visiting bank branches.

The ease of payments because of UPI will encourage more customers to make payments to Bhatia using the banking channel. The frequent transactions through his bank account will also help create a banking history, which could help him secure bank loans in the future. The integration of e-KYC, e-sign and UPI layers will also enable banks to instantly process his loan application and disburse loans.

IndiaStack also has the potential to reduce the costs involved in other financial transactions. At present, the cost of acquiring a customer for a mutual fund or a bank is Rs 1,200-1,500. Most of this goes into document collection, verifying these, going back to customers if there are errors, and so on. If a fund house spends that kind of money to get a customer, it uses commissions to cover the cost. IndiaStack will allow fund houses to do all these tasks online for as little as Rs 10. Fund houses can pass on this benefit to the investor. All the information is pulled with the consent of the customer. Similarly, banks can lower processing fees on a loan.

Better financial products

However, it is not only Bhatia who will benefit from this open digital infrastructure called IndiaStack. The platform has the potential to transform the financial landscape by enabling product innovation, reducing customer acquisition and operating costs, and enabling larger sections to access financial products.

The data created from bill payments, digital identity, social media and customer transaction history can be used to develop customised solutions like daily insurance policies, intra-day loans and mobile credit cards. Lower customer acquisition and operating costs will reduce the cost of servicing banking consumers and allow banks and non-banking financial companies to improve credit access for the unbanked population.

The writer is CEO and co-founder, Paisabazaar.com

INDIASTACK TO REDUCE COSTS

• Send documents using DigiLocker for identity and address proof
   
• Get KYC done instantly online
   
• Documents can be signed online using digital signatures
   
• Once on-boarded, instantly transact using UPI
   
• Institutions pay a fraction of current cost they incur for customer acquisition
   
• Lower costs can be passed on to customers in form of lower commissions and processing fee

10520 - Lots of elbow room for Jaitley’s next Budget - Hindu Businessline

Lots of elbow room for Jaitley’s next Budget

J MULRAJ

All in all, given the good macro-economic signals, Jaitley will still have elbow room for a tax cut. A fiscal stimulus will work much much better than a monetary one.

October 7, 2016:  

The income declaration scheme (IDS) received declarations of ₹65,000 crore, which, taxed @ 45 per cent, yielded an additional ₹29,000 crore in tax revenue. Telecom spectrum auctions have so far fetched ₹63,000 crore in revenue. It would have been far higher if TRAI had set an affordable base rate for spectrum in the popular 700 MHz, which nobody bid for. Since the idea of an open auction is to gauge a fair market value on competitive bidding, setting an unaffordably high base price defies logic.

Favourable pointers

Arun Jaitley thus, has plenty of elbow room to give us a Budget in February, that would further propel the economy. Other macro-economic parameters are also helping. The current account deficit in Q2 has fallen to $300 million (0.1 per cent of GDP) from $6.1 billion (1.2 per cent of GDP) in Q2 last year, thanks mainly to low crude oil prices. Combine this with the foreign portfolio investment inflows of ₹20,000 crore in September, an 11-month high, and the elbow room on the foreign exchange front also widens.

The extra revenue will be supplemented by savings in subsidies, which were a leaky sieve, after direct benefit transfer.

Rate cut

The benefits of Aadhaar card are just starting to manifest themselves. Using Aadhaar identification, Reliance Jio, for example, is able to induct a customer in just two minutes! Millions of citizens, so far excluded from the economic mainstream, for want of an identity, will now participate in it.

The new RBI Governor has done his bit by reducing interest rates by 0.25 per cent. This reduction must be taken with some caveats. First, as Usha Thorat, a former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, points out, in BusinessLine dated October 6, it discourages savers. Whether it helps consumers is to be seen; so far only two banks have cut interest rates, by far less than the 25 basis points cut by the RBI.

So, the FM has plenty of room to, for example, reduce tax rates, if he wishes. Part of the extra revenue would, doubtless, go for higher defence spending, necessitated by a belligerent neighbour. The FM needs to ask himself why the IDS did not collect more than ₹65,000 crore, by itself a commendable figure, but lower, as a per cent of GDP, than the previous one.

Agri under tax net

Part of the answer is that black money has an official laundry to become white. This is ‘agriculture income’ which is completely tax-free. There is no distinction made, as there should be, between the small, struggling farmers, who should be given tax concessions, for struggling in the fields to feed us, and those who misuse this provision to convert their black money into white. The CAG is examining this.

As these columns have suggested, it would be a good idea to grant a higher exemption limit to small farmers (say, ₹25 lakh instead of ₹2.5 lakh for others) and then tax anyone earning more. That stops blatant misuse of this provision without hurting small farmers (vote banks).

A lot of money will have to go into skill development. A study by the World Bank feels that 69 per cent of jobs in India are under threat from automation.

All in all, given the good macro-economic signals, Jaitley will still have elbow room for a tax cut. A fiscal stimulus will work much much better than a monetary one.

×

10519 - Indian bank launches ATM with fingerprint recognition - Planet Biometrics

Indian bank launches ATM with fingerprint recognition 

07 October 2016 15:00 GMT

- See more at: http://www.planetbiometrics.com/article-details/i/5082/desc/indian-bank-launches-atm-with-fingerprint-recognition/#sthash.o8iZhlZ0.dpuf

India's DCB Bank has launched the first fingerprint enabled ATM in Bhilwara, Rajasthan. Senior staff say the ATM links to the country’s Aadhaar (biometrics-backed unique ID number) database. Murali M. Natrajan, managing director and CEO said, “We are delighted to launch India’s first Aadhaar Number and Aadhaar fingerprint (biometric) ATM. Aadhaar has become ubiquitous. This is a unique first of its kind wonderful facility. There is no need for ATM/Debit Card or the hassle of remembering a PIN.” Customers can input their 12 digit Aadhaar number and place their fingerprint on the biometric reader, or choose to use their card and fingerprint. In April 2016, the Bank pilot launched India’s first Aadhaar based ATM in Mumbai. This was followed by launch of Aadhaar based ATM in Odisha, Punjab & Karnataka and now in Tamil Nadu, Haryana & Rajasthan. The Bank plans to upgrade all its 400+ ATMs to provide Aadhaar based functionality in the next six months or so. Currently, DCB Bank customers will be able to use this facility. 

- See more at: http://www.planetbiometrics.com/article-details/i/5082/desc/indian-bank-launches-atm-with-fingerprint-recognition/#sthash.o8iZhlZ0.dpuf

10518 - Enormity of Aadhaar data does not add to its vulnerability: Symantec’s Ilias Chantzos - Indian Express

Enormity of Aadhaar data does not add to its vulnerability: Symantec’s Ilias Chantzos

If we all agree that data is valuable then it should be no surprise that data is regulated.

Written by Nandagopal Rajan | Published:October 8, 2016 12:43 pm

If we all agree that data is valuable then it should be no surprise that data is regulated.

With over a billion Aadhaar numbers allotted to Indian citizens, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is the largest national identification number project in the world. For the same reason, this centralised data base is also one that needs to be secured all the time.

Ilias Chantzos, Senior Director Government Affairs EMEA-APJ at Symantec, however, says the enormity of this data set has not added to the vulnerability in anyway. “In the end it is all about finding the right balance and making sure you have the right protections in place while offering the flexibility and advantages of digital usage on the other hand. We have to accept that identity is going more and more online, as you see with banks, and it is a natural evolution. So don’t view this as an additional vulnerability,” he explains.

Any standard for protecting public data, he says, needs to take into consideration local context as well. “There is a school of thought that argues the need for a sector specific standard for finance or health. This is the American way. But the European way is horizontal, to have a more encompassing standard irrespective of a sector or area of business. And these two models to seem to compete,” explains Chantzos. He represents Symantec before government bodies, national authorities and international organisations advising on public policy issues with particular regard to IT security and data risk management and availability.

“Depending on the trade flows and data flows countries like India will be pulled into these two directions. In the end every country is going to have something that fits its idiosyncrasies, but it would have to be somehow compatible to do business with other major trading partners,” he adds.

Chantzos says the right approach will be to put emphasis on individual data protection, because “that is where the value is”. He adds: “If we all agree that data is valuable then is should be no surprise that data is regulated.”

But governments often end up adding more context to individual data, without permission from them. But this is again a call that has to be taken at a local level, he says. “There needs to be information self determination, but even that is subject to certain restrictions. For instance, the institution doing business with you, like a bank, might object,” he explains, adding that there can be two ways to tackle this: “either decide on direct authentication or opt for crunching all the data to draw a conclusion about the context”.

“In the end you have to manage the identity and the use case will determine how you do it. But in such a case we will need to look at even the potential use cases of aadhaar as well,” 

Chantzos says, underlining how when the GSM standards were set up no one would have imagined used of mobile phones for banking.

Chantzos says there is a growing realisation that since we are all connected these days, the impact of a cyber incident will be much more. 

“There is greater realisation now that in the information society there is value in the data and data economy is why you see more attacks on the infrastructure that supports it,” he says, adding that in that sense India is no different from the rest of the world. “On one hand you see a lot of effort from the government in the UID project, but at the same time the challenge to share this information.”

© The Indian Express Online Media Pvt Ltd

10517 - Karnataka to make Aadhaar mandatory for some students - The Hindu

BENGALURU, October 8, 2016

Karnataka to make Aadhaar mandatory for some students

Tanu Kulkarni

The State will issue regulations under the Karnataka Education Act, 1983, making Aadhaar mandatory

Karnataka’s Department of Primary and Secondary Education has decided to make Aadhaar enrolment mandatory for all students in government, aided and private unaided schools, and Pre-University colleges, for ‘efficient’ delivery of government incentives such as uniforms, textbooks, cycles and scholarships.

The State will issue regulations under the Karnataka Education Act, 1983, making Aadhaar mandatory. Besides this, the Commissioner for Public Instruction will be asked to coordinate with authorities of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) to ensure that schools affiliated to these boards also fall in line.

Ajay Seth, Principal Secretary, Department of Primary and Secondary Education, said around 65 lakh out of the total one crore students already are enrolled under Aadhaar. “For the remaining students we plan to send teams to schools, colleges and hostels in rural areas. Those in urban areas will coordinate with E-Governance department to ensure that we reach 100 per cent Aadhaar enrolment by the end of this academic year,” he said.

After ensuring 100 per cent enrolment, the department plans to link the Aadhaar number at several levels that include board examination at class ten and PU level for scholarships and as part of the student achievement tracking system. “This would ensure that duplicates are weeded out. For instance currently there are some students who are enrolled in government schools as well as private schools, so that they can get benefits such as uniforms and textbooks. Clearly they are going to just one school and this would help us track this,” a departmental official said. Linking Aadhaar, officials point out, would help monitor admissions and attendance, as well as to ensure that a child completes elementary education.

10516 - Railways plans linking Aadhaar with concessional ticket booking- Economic Times

Railways plans linking Aadhaar with concessional ticket booking

By PTI | Updated: Oct 11, 2016, 05.47 PM IST

With the successful linking of Aadhaar cards with LPG service and passport service, the government has now shifted its focus on railway ticketing and booking.

NEW DELHI: Railways will hold discussion with UIDAI for linking Aadhaar number with booking of concessional tickets to prevent misuse of subsidy facility by unscrupulous elements. 

The Finance Ministry has asked various ministries including the Railways to identify areas where Aadhaar-based verification can be applied before doling out subsidies, a senior Railway Ministry official said. 

With the successful linking of Aadhaar cards with LPG service and passport service, the government has now shifted its focus on railway ticketing and booking. 

In railways, people in various categories including senior citizens, patients, eminent artists and sportspersons are eligible for availing concessional fare facilities. 

"We are exploring how to link the ticketing system with Aadhaar so that it can be verified before booking concessional tickets," said the official. 

He said railway is writing to Unique Identification Authority of India to know the details of Aadhaar-based system and how it can be linked with the passenger reservation system. 

CRIS, railways technolgy arm, will hold threadbare discussions with UIDAI to find out way forward for making it possible in the national transporter. 

However, he said though the Aadhaar-based booking system will prevent touts using fake names and IDs and the concessions will be availed by the genuine persons, it will slowdown the system. 

"Currently, we are booking about 15,000 tickets in a minute. Once the system is linked with Aadhaar, it will take some time to verify and as a result the ticket delivery process will be delayed," he added. 

He further said railways has its own verification system as before giving tickets and also on board checkings are being conducted by authorities concerned.

10515 - 'Mandatory Aadhaar contempt of court' - TNN

'Mandatory Aadhaar contempt of court'

TNN | Updated: Oct 6, 2016, 10.10 AM IST

Aurangabad: The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary Higher Secondary Education's (MSBSHSE) decision to make mentioning of Aadhaar card numbers while filling examination forms mandatory for SSC and HSC students has not gone down well with the experts, who have termed the move as "contempt of court". 

In a letter addressed to the state chief secretary, educational counsellor and activist Vivek Velankar, said the move was shocking and it disrespects repeated orders of the judiciary, including that of the Supreme Court. 

"We tried to draw chief secretary's attention towards the recent Supreme Court order of September 14, where the court clearly asked the Centre to remove Aadhaar number as a mandatory condition for student registration form at the National Scholarship Portal. Earlier, the apex court, on October 16 last year had stated the Aadhaar card scheme is purely voluntary and it cannot be made mandatory till the matter is finally decided. The chief secretary, therefore, must prevail upon the MSBSHSE for de-linking examination form-filling with Aadhaar," said Velankar, who is associated with advocacy group Sajag Nagarik Manch.

He said the use of Aadhaar for any purposes other than that allowed by the court was a clear case of contempt of court. 

"We have requested the authorities to immediately withdraw the controversial circular. If necessary action is not taken, we will be compelled to approach the court for," said Sajag Nagarik Manch.

When contacted, MSBSHSE chairman Gangadhar Mhamane said, "The Aadhaar card number of every student is going to be required for further academic purposes, including disbursement of scholarships. Still, we are considering ways so that SSC and HSC students need not have to suffer any academic loss," he said, adding that a formal announcement would be made soon. 

Mhamane, however, refused to divulge. "Extending deadline for filling up examination forms could be one of the options to offer relief," he said.

10514 - No duplicate keys without Aadhaar in Ongole - The Hindu

ONGOLE, October 6, 2016

No duplicate keys without Aadhaar in Ongole

Keymakers don’t want to invite trouble by helping thieves unwittingly

: The Aadhaar card may not be mandatory for availing many governmental and non-governmental services, as ruled by the Supreme Court. But in Ongole, anyone who has misplaced or lost keys to locks has to compulsorily possess an Aadhaar card. Wiser after some bad experiences, keymakers here are demanding the production of the 12-digit unique identity number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) before they set to work on key blanks to create duplicates for the locks of mopeds, scooters, motorbikes, doors, drawers and cupboards.

It requires expertise to make keys for a variety of locks, including padlocks, deadbolts and knob locks. Only experienced keymakers can cut keys even when the duplicate is unavailable,” says Sk.Imran taking time from his busy day to talk to The Hindu.

“Unsuspectingly, we made locks in the past for some persons who came to us towing their two-wheelers, saying that they had lost their motorcycle keys. We were shocked when we were summoned to the police station on the pretext of an inquiry. We were allowed to go after a stern warning from the police officers,” explains another keymaker Alla Baksh, holding a bunch of old keys and sets of key blanks which can be cut to different shapes according to the requirement.

“People mostly come to us for making duplicate keys to open the locks of, among other things, two-wheelers and almirahs,” says Mohamad Pathan, who has been making duplicate keys for a living for more than 30 years.

Necessary precautions

“We avoid making keys for jewellery lockers for all and sundry. We also don’t go to the customer’s place as we land in trouble in case any thefts happen in the future,” adds Sk. Jilani, who has several files for cutting and shaping keys.

Depending on the complexity of lock, the keymakers charge between Rs.100 to Rs.200 for making each duplicate. They can easily earn up to Rs. 1,000 per day, says Sk.Basha, who purchases his key blanks from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, home to a thriving lock industry.

Ongole Deputy Superintendent of Police G. Srinivasa Rao suggests that vehicle owners should go to the automobile’s authorised service centre for replacing the lock instead of creating duplicates via keymakers. “Keymakers have been told not to make duplicate keys if they suspect the credentials of persons approaching them,” he adds.

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10513 - HC stays Govt order on Aadhaar - Daily Exc4elsior

HC stays Govt order on Aadhaar

Posted on 5/10/2016 by Dailyexcelsior

Excelsior Correspondent

Srinagar, Oct 4: The State High Court today stayed the Government order regarding installation of Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) in Government departments to ensure the attendance of Government employees.

The fresh order of Government has been passed for making the procurement of Aadhaar card mandatory for Government employees for   AEBAS and  the Aadhaar Card as mandatory has been stayed by the Division Bench of Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey with the observation that the Supreme Court has already held Aadhaar is not mandatory.

“This Court as well as Supreme Court has held that till pendency of orders to be passed by the Supreme Court, the Aadhaar has been made compulsory, in light of the orders passed, there shall be an interim stay of ordering in so far insisting for Aadhaar Card is concerned”, directed the DB and also issued notice to the Government through Chief Secretary of the State and the notice has been accepted in open court by the State Counsel M A Beigh (Dy AG).

In its order Supreme Court has made it clear that “Aadhaar Card Scheme is voluntary and cannot be made mandatory till the matter is decided by the Supreme Court in one way or the other and the interim orders shall be strictly followed”.
It has been submitted before the court that order of General Administration Department on 01.09.2016 is directly in violation and contravention of the various direction issued by Supreme Court declaring that Aadhaar is a voluntary Scheme and should not be made mandatory or compulsory.

The court has been apprised that Jammu & Kashmir has only 64% Aadhaar enrollment, which is amongst the lowest number of Aadhaar card holders in the entire country as such Government order is illogical and has been passed without any application of mind.

“Aadhaar Scheme infringes the Right of Privacy and the same is subject matter of five Judge Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court.  Such impugned Government order undermines and prejudices the case in hand before the Supreme Court as well”, reads the petition.
Because of such impugned order, mentioned in the petition ‘suffers from infirmity with respect to the Constitution of India’ as rest of the citizen of the country in all other parts are exempted from compulsory disclosure and in the State of Jammu & Kashmir people are forced to disclose private information under the cloak of Aadhaar Scheme.
In the said order all Administrative Secretaries have been instructed that salary of the employees from the month of September, 2016, who remain on unauthorized absence from duty shall not be released and action under rules be initiated against them. “Salary of all the employees for the month of August be released in view of the ensuing festival of Eid-ul-Zuha”, reads other condition contained in the Government order.
It may be mentioned that High Court had last month quashed the Government order on Aadhaar Card that was made mandatory for the various purposes including drawing of salary for Government employees.
The court while quashing the order held that the Government order (No. 35-F of 2016 dated 10.2.2016) is in contrary of the orders of Supreme Court as such quashed it and directed the Government to pass fresh order in tune with the direction of Supreme Court.
State Government had issued an order no. 35-F of 2016 dated 10.2.2016 wherein possession of Aadhaar Card was made mandatory for almost all sections of the people including employees, pensioners, Public Sector Unit Holders etc, while as Supreme Court in its interim order in  October 2015, observed that Aadhaar Card is ‘purely voluntary’ and not mandatory and it cannot be made mandatory till the matter is decided by the Supreme Court, one way or the other.

10512 - Govt can’t stop LPG subsidy for not linking Aadhaar, says UIDAI CEO - Hindstan Times

Govt can’t stop LPG subsidy for not linking Aadhaar, says UIDAI CEO

• Aloke Tikku, Hindustan Times, New Delhi |  Updated: Oct 05, 2016 00:27 IST

The LPG customers have time till November-end to apply for an Aadhaar number to continue receiving the subsidy. (HT file photo)

The government cannot hold back subsidy for cooking gas before 30 November on grounds that customers haven’t given their Aadhaar number, a top government official said on Tuesday.

ABP Pandey, chief executive officer of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) told HT that customers have time till November-end to apply for an Aadhaar number to continue receiving the subsidy.

Pandey said the Aadhaar law requires customers who have not linked an Aadhaar number to their gas connection to submit a copy of their bank passbook, proof of Aadhaar enrolment or an undertaking that the customer has only one subsidised gas connection.

If they do, there is nothing in the law to empower the government to withhold the subsidy.

Pandey’s clarification on the legal position came against the backdrop of reports that the petroleum ministry had decided to stop transferring subsidy to eligible customers if they had not submitted an Aadhaar number.

The government had last week mandated that customers get an Aadhaar number to continue getting cooking gas subsidy.

It was the first time that an order was issued under the Aadhaar law that came into force in September this year. But the law bars the government from denying benefits to people who don’t one.

“Yes, the law requires people to get the Aadhaar number. But it is the responsibility of the government, or its agencies to ensure that everyone who applies for one, is able to enrol for the number,” said Pandey. If there are no enrolment centres at a reasonable distance, the oil company will have to set up one temporarily.

10519 - Aadhaar must for LPG subsidy after November - The Hindu

NEW DELHI, October 4, 2016

Aadhaar must for LPG subsidy after November

"Individual desirous of availing LPG subsidies are hereby required to furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar or undergo Aadhaar authentication," an Oil Ministry order said.

The government has made Aadhaar mandatory for availing cooking gas (LPG) subsidies but has given two months grace period for citizens to get the unique identification number.

Government currently gives 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rates per household in a year. The subsidy on every cylinder is transfered in advance directly into bank accounts of individuals, who then buy the cooking fuel at market rates.

“Individual desirous of availing LPG subsidies are hereby required to furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar or undergo Aadhaar authentication,” an Oil Ministry order said.

For those not yet having Aadhaar, it gave time till November 30, 2016 to make application for enrolment for the unique identification number.

Oil marketing companies have been asked to faciliate enrolments.

Till the time Aadhaar is assigned, LPG subsidy would be transfered based on bank photo passbook and Aadhaar enrolment ID slip or his voter ID card or ration card or kisan photo passbook or passport of driver license along with copy of request for Aadhaar enrolment.

Also, an undertaking in a set format has to be given that the individual is not availing LPG subsidy under some other consumer number of an oil marketing company, the order said.

“This notification shall take effect immediately in all states except Assam, Meghalaya and Jammu & Kashmir,” the order said.

The Ministry said use of Aadhaar as identifier for delivery of services/benefits/subsidies simplifies the Government delivery processes, bring in transparency and efficiency, and enables beneficiaries to get their entitlements directly to them.

“Aadhaar obviates the need for producing multiple documents to prove one’s identity,” it said, adding the provisions of the Aadhaar Act and Regulations under the Act came into effect from September 14, 2016.

As LPG subsidy is an expenditure incurred from Consolidated Fund of India, the Ministry said it is notifying use of Aadhaar as mandatory requirement for availing of the benefit.