AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 11035 - Spotlight on identity

In 2009, I became extremely concerned with the concept of Unique Identity for various reasons. Connected with many like minded highly educated people who were all concerned.

On 18th May 2010, I started this Blog to capture anything and everything I came across on the topic. This blog with its million hits is a testament to my concerns about loss of privacy and fear of the ID being misused and possible Criminal activities it could lead to.

In 2017 the Supreme Court of India gave its verdict after one of the longest hearings on any issue. I did my bit and appealed to the Supreme Court Judges too through an On Line Petition.

In 2019 the Aadhaar Legislation has been revised and passed by the two houses of the Parliament of India making it Legal. I am no Legal Eagle so my Opinion carries no weight except with people opposed to the very concept.

In 2019, this Blog now just captures on a Daily Basis list of Articles Published on anything to do with Aadhaar as obtained from Daily Google Searches and nothing more. Cannot burn the midnight candle any longer.

"In Matters of Conscience, the Law of Majority has no place"- Mahatma Gandhi

Ram Krishnaswamy

Sydney, Australia.

Aadhaar

The UIDAI has taken two successive governments in India and the entire world for a ride. It identifies nothing. It is not unique. The entire UID data has never been verified and audited. The UID cannot be used for governance, financial databases or anything. It’s use is the biggest threat to national security since independence. – Anupam Saraph 2018

When I opposed Aadhaar in 2010 , I was called a BJP stooge. In 2016 I am still opposing Aadhaar for the same reasons and I am told I am a Congress die hard. No one wants to see why I oppose Aadhaar as it is too difficult. Plus Aadhaar is FREE so why not get one ? Ram Krishnaswamy

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.-Mahatma Gandhi

In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.Mahatma Gandhi

“The invasion of privacy is of no consequence because privacy is not a fundamental right and has no meaning under Article 21. The right to privacy is not a guaranteed under the constitution, because privacy is not a fundamental right.” Article 21 of the Indian constitution refers to the right to life and liberty -Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi

“There is merit in the complaints. You are unwittingly allowing snooping, harassment and commercial exploitation. The information about an individual obtained by the UIDAI while issuing an Aadhaar card shall not be used for any other purpose, save as above, except as may be directed by a court for the purpose of criminal investigation.”-A three judge bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar said in an interim order.

Legal scholar Usha Ramanathan describes UID as an inverse of sunshine laws like the Right to Information. While the RTI makes the state transparent to the citizen, the UID does the inverse: it makes the citizen transparent to the state, she says.

Good idea gone bad
I have written earlier that UID/Aadhaar was a poorly designed, unreliable and expensive solution to the really good idea of providing national identification for over a billion Indians. My petition contends that UID in its current form violates the right to privacy of a citizen, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. This is because sensitive biometric and demographic information of citizens are with enrolment agencies, registrars and sub-registrars who have no legal liability for any misuse of this data. This petition has opened up the larger discussion on privacy rights for Indians. The current Article 21 interpretation by the Supreme Court was done decades ago, before the advent of internet and today’s technology and all the new privacy challenges that have arisen as a consequence.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP Rajya Sabha

“What is Aadhaar? There is enormous confusion. That Aadhaar will identify people who are entitled for subsidy. No. Aadhaar doesn’t determine who is eligible and who isn’t,” Jairam Ramesh

But Aadhaar has been mythologised during the previous government by its creators into some technology super force that will transform governance in a miraculous manner. I even read an article recently that compared Aadhaar to some revolution and quoted a 1930s historian, Will Durant.Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Rajya Sabha MP

“I know you will say that it is not mandatory. But, it is compulsorily mandatorily voluntary,” Jairam Ramesh, Rajya Saba April 2017.

August 24, 2017: The nine-judge Constitution Bench rules that right to privacy is “intrinsic to life and liberty”and is inherently protected under the various fundamental freedoms enshrined under Part III of the Indian Constitution

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the World; indeed it's the only thing that ever has"

“Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say.” -Edward Snowden

In the Supreme Court, Meenakshi Arora, one of the senior counsel in the case, compared it to living under a general, perpetual, nation-wide criminal warrant.

Had never thought of it that way, but living in the Aadhaar universe is like living in a prison. All of us are treated like criminals with barely any rights or recourse and gatekeepers have absolute power on you and your life.

Announcing the launch of the # BreakAadhaarChainscampaign, culminating with events in multiple cities on 12th Jan. This is the last opportunity to make your voice heard before the Supreme Court hearings start on 17th Jan 2018. In collaboration with @no2uidand@rozi_roti.

UIDAI's security seems to be founded on four time tested pillars of security idiocy

1) Denial

2) Issue fiats and point finger

3) Shoot messenger

4) Bury head in sand.

God Save India

Thursday, April 13, 2017

11035 - Spotlight on identity - Deccan Herald

Spotlight on identity

Surupasree Sarmmah, April 12, 2017, Deccan Herald News Service

need of the hour Some Bengalureans feel that there are still hurdles while applying for the Aadhaar card.

DH PHOTO BY B K JANARDHAN

I didn’t feel the necessity for an Aadhaar card till now since I have my passport, driving licence and voter ID card bearing the same details. But now I think I will have to get one due to it being made mandatory for driving licence renewal and a host of other purposes,” says Ashok Agarwal, a businessman.

With the Aadhaar card being made compulsory for various government welfare schemes like the Midday Meal Scheme and booking of railway tickets, many like Ashok are gearing up to get their card in place. It has also been made a must for filing income tax returns from July 1.

“The government is trying to make it compulsory for various databases, perhaps because most people possessing documents like the PAN card and voter ID card got them made almost 20 years back. And most of these documents have incorrect or incomplete information, especially like wrong date of birth or name misspelt,” adds Ashok.

He says that since the Aadhaar card involves a biometric scan, no one can duplicate or fake the details. He understands the importance of this card, which is the only reason the government is pushing people to get one.

However, Sherly Mathew, a professional, says that though she has made an attempt to enrol for the Aadhaar card, various issues like lack of valid documents (address proof being one of them) have posed a problem for her.

She says, “First of all, there are only limited tokens — around 30 — issued per day at enrolment centres. If you miss it one day, you will have to revisit the centre the next day, which again is an uncertainty. Holding a regular job, it is difficult for me to take leave every other day. They must increase the number of tokens so that more people can enrol for it.”

“I was told that the proof of address for the enrolment has to have the permanent address, which has to be somewhere in Bengaluru. Since I don’t have one and my passport also has a different address, I am in a fix now,” she laments.

So what can an individual do if similar issues arise? “There are 35 different categories of documents using which one can enrol for their Aadhaar card. Incase none of these documents are available, an individual can also take help of the ‘Introducers’ available at the enrolment centre. He or she is a known person authorised by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) or by a registrar, to introduce individuals with insufficient documentation for enrolment,” says a UIDAI official.

He says that there are many benefits attached to the Aadhaar card. “The Aadhaar card makes it one step easier for people to avail certain government benefits. It is now an essential and verifiable document for identity,” adds the official.