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

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

12864 - Will 'ModiCare' succeed? Majority on Facebook, Twitter say no: BS poll - Business Standard

Will 'ModiCare' succeed? Majority on Facebook, Twitter say no: BS poll
68% voters on Facebook and 57% on Twitter are of the opinion that the scheme is unlikely to succeed
BS Web Team  |  New Delhi 
Last Updated at February 3, 2018 16:32 IST

The mega healthcare plan (informally known as 'ModiCare', 'NaMoCare') announced in the Union Budget 2018-19 has been given an overwhelming thumbs-down in two public polls conducted by Business Standard.com. 68% voters on Facebook and 57% on Twitter are of the opinion that the scheme is unlikely to succeed. The healthcare plan aims to provide 100 million poor families with insurance cover against hospitalisation will cost up to Rs 12,000 crore annually.

Most voters are asking a crucial question - Where will the money to fund this scheme come from? One of the voters highlighted the fact that the scheme has not addressed the problem of insufficient infrastructure. "The rural and small-town India's hospitals are poorly equipped and incapable of serving the poor and lack doctors and nurses," said a Twitter user.

Key takeaways of the healthcare plan

— To avail the scheme poor people will have to link the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 with Aadhaar (though Aadhaar is not yet compulsory).

— The scheme will be cashless 
— It will take care of hospitalisation, the secondary and tertiary care
— Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said the challenge is not resources for the scheme but challenge is its implementation.

Beneficiaries

'Modicare' is specifically targeted at India's poor

Cost

The total cost under 'Modicare' to cover 100 million households has been estimated at Rs 40 billion. Centre has confirmed allocation of Rs 20 billion for the scheme. According to people familiar with the matter, Centre will look at states to pitch in with the remaining Rs 20 billion. The expenditure on the scheme, however, could see a significant rise if the government turns the program into a universal healthcare scheme with benefits for all citizens in the country.

Premium

Under the Modi care, the government will invite bids from insurance companies to cover these 10 crore families. These insurance companies will tie up with healthcare chains where the insured will be treated. It's highly unlikely the poor will have to pay premiums since it's a promise to provide a cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation

The healthcare plan is likely to be launched on August 15 or October 2, according to officials.


First Published: Sat, February 03 2018. 16:32 IST
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