AADHAAR RELATED ARTICLES: 11483 - TISS makes Aadhaar card must for students

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

Sunday, May 28, 2017

11483 - TISS makes Aadhaar card must for students - INDIAN EXPRESS

TISS makes Aadhaar card must for students

Students of the institute and new applicants to furnish details else admissions will be discontinued, says circular.

Written by Priyanka Sahoo | Mumbai |

Published:May 27, 2017 3:42 am

STUDENTS OF the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and those joining it in the next academic year will have to furnish their Aadhaar details mandatorily, failing which the institute will discontinue their admissions. In a circular issued to students on Thursday, registrar C P Mohan Kumar said that those joining the institute for the third semester will have to register their biometric and Aadhaar card details with the institute before June 8.

“Biometric attendance is an institutional norm and all students are required to follow it. Students who are unable to provide their fingerprint and submit their Aadhar card will be deemed to have discontinued from the programme of study at TISS,” read the circular. For students taking admissions to the first semester, the “administrative formalities” are to be completed at the time of verification of certificates.

TISS director S Parasuraman said the decision to make Aadhaar compulsory was taken to keep tabs on scholarships received by students directly from the government. “Sometimes the government transfers scholarship funds directly to the accounts of the students, who do not inform us of the same. The students continue to get funds from the institute,” said Parasuraman, adding that he was yet to receive a copy of the circular. The Aadhaar details will help TISS keep track of the fund transfers, he said.

The circular has listed several steps that students need to follow, failing which they will not be allowed to continue in the programme of study. “We are introducing several measures to streamline the academic administration,” read the circular.

The decision to make biometric attendance compulsory had been introduced by the administration last year but it had to be withdrawn following protests by the student union.

However, this time the institute has made it clear that the manual attendance system will cease to exist from the academic year 2017-18. “All students who have completed the procedures and joined the third semester are required to complete their biometric registration and fingerprint recording within 48 hours of returning to the campus,” stated the circular.

The circular has come at a time the student union stands dissolved. With previous year’s representatives graduating, students are yet to elect a new set of representatives. Since the decision has come during vacation and in the absence of a student union, students are now finding it difficult to mobilise protests.

“There are few students on campus. Discussions are on about further course of action. A statement will be issued soon,” said a second-year student on condition of anonymity.

SC, ST and OBC student aid to be scrapped

In the circular issued on Thursday, the institute has also said that it will discontinue financial aid to SC, ST and OBC students with family income below the Union government norms that mark out the “creamy layer”. It means students eligible for scholarships under Government of India schemes and special scholarships by the institute will now have to pay full fee from the next semester.

“The institute requests the concerned students to mobilise resources for tuition fee, hostel and dining hall charges. Arrangements have been made with nationalised banks to facilitate educational loans. Securing scholarship/ loan will be the sole responsibility of the student and the institute will not be responsible for ensuring the grant or release of loans by the bank,” read the circular.

TISS has cited a deficit of Rs 20 crore as the reason behind the decision. “Under the GoI scholarship scheme, the government only pays the tuition fee and the rest is borne by the institute. But the institute is in no position to bear the costs,” said Parasuraman. He said it was because the ministries of social justice and empowerment and tribal affairs and state have not reimbursed for scholarship costs borne by it.

priyanka.sahoo@expressindia.com

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