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

Friday, January 20, 2017

10723 - At Labour Chowk, a futile wait for work - TNN

TNN | Dec 14, 2016, 04.10 AM IST

GURUGRAM: Early in the morning on Tuesday, questions fly thick and fast as TOI joins the group of daily wagers who, like every other day, had converged upon Labour Chowk near Bristol Hotel in Sikandeprur. How can we exchange our old notes? Can we open a bank account here in Gurgaon? Is the Aadhaar card enough for opening an account? What about the subsidised food the government had promised for us? What benefit will come from demonetisation? How will it curb black money? 

Their bewilderment and ignorance shed an unflattering light on the Centre's tall claims about a cashless, digital economy, and its campaign to open bank accounts, Aadhaar cards, etc. Financial literacy? Nobody here had ever heard of Paytm. "I started working as a mechanic when I was eight years old. I attended school upto Class IV. How would I know all this?" said Manoj, 35, a labourer from West Bengal. In fact, bank accounts and e-wallets are far from the minds of these people, who are scraping for work and food. 

A majority of the around thousand men and women who gather at this junction every morning looking for work, don't have Jan Dhan accounts. Everyone appears to have Aadhaar cards though. When asked if any government representatives have visited them yet to assist them in opening bank accounts, they said no. The few who had managed to get work on odd days, said they received payments in the demonetised notes. Without bank accounts, they had no option but to exchange them for change by paying a commission.

"When they hire us, they promise to pay in new currency. But once our work ends, they give us the old notes. Some even give us a Rs 500 note and ask us to return them Rs 200 change," said Muktesh, from Jaipur in Rajasthan. He added that some labourers have got thrashed for protesting such behaviour. 

Latest Comment
it is high time Govt. accepts that implementation of demonetisation, actually issuing of new cash has gone horribly wrong.
Hat Hum Aap Aur Hum

For the city's daily wagers, not only has exploitation increased since demonetisation, but work has also been hard to come by. "In the last 30 days, I've got work on five days. How can I run my family on this?" asked Haseena, a daily wager from Jhansi in Madhya Pradesh.

Though voices of support for the Modi government could still be heard, the overwhelming feeling was of anger and worry. "Note badlega toh desh badlega. Is desh mein jab garib marega tabhi to amir badhega (The country will change when currency changes. In this country, the rich grow richer at the cost of the poor)," said Ravindra Yadav, a labourer from Allahabad district. 

Though initially reluctant, they eventually said in one voice they won't ever vote for Modi, who must return to Gujarat. "Modi can do what he wants in the next 2.5 years, as that's all the time he has in power," said Birju Ram from Gaya in Bihar, referring to the next General Elections.