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

Monday, July 8, 2019

14190 - Aadhaar Articles Dated 7th July 2019


Now, use Aadhaar for transactions beyond Rs 50k

Deccan Herald
India's national biometric ID Aadhaar can now be quoted for cash transactions of more than Rs 50,000 and all other purposes where traditionally ...

Tax dept will 'suo motu' allot PAN to those only furnishing Aadhaar: CBDT chief
Livemint
New Delhi: The taxman will 'suo motu' allot a fresh PAN to a person who files tax returns with only Aadhaaras part of a new arrangement to link the ...

Is your Aadhaar data about to be monetised?
The Asian Age
The treasure trove in fact is the core biometrics and the intimate personal data of 1.22 billion citizens collected over nine years under the Aadhaar ...

J&K govt approves Aadhaar-linked payment mode for disbursal of pension
All India Radio
Jammu and Kashmir government has approved Aadhaar-linked payment mode for disbursal of pension to beneficiaries under various central and ...

RS to debate dentists, Aadhaar Bills tomorrow
Business Standard
The Lower House had on July 4 passed the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill which proposes giving an option to exit from the biometric ID ...

Aadhaar discrepancies make Dharwad residents queue up centres at 6 am
The New Indian Express
DHARWAD: Residents of Dharwad are facing a lot of problems to get their Aadhaar cards. Despite standing in queues for many hours, several people ...

Will generate PAN at back-end if not linked to Aadhaar: Revenue Secretary
Business Standard
As the announcement by former finance minister Arun Jaitley to cut corporate tax rate to 25 per cent across the board by FY19 remains to be ...

Assam to introduce biometric tracking for suspected illegal immigrants
Hindustan Times
The SOP said those who make it to the final NRC list will be issued Aadhaar numbers but remained silent on what would be done with the biometric ...

5 new Income Tax changes that may impact you soon
Zee Business
Aadhaar and PAN would be made interchangeable for tax-filing purpose. SBI Research said that this decision will help increase the tax base in the ...

Transfer fee scam: 93 cars recovered
The Tribune
The police have also recovered fake Aadhaar cards from Raspinder. Also, several vehicles had been registered on a single fake Aadhaar card while ...

India's pro-growth budget will lift economy
MENAFN.COM
For overseas Indians, one of the most exciting proposals was the facility to get Aadhaar cards on arrival, without the mandatory waiting period.

Social Media Corner 6 July 2019
Narendra Modi (press release) (blog)
NRIS holding Indian passports to be issued Aadhaar without 180-days waiting period after their arrival in India.#Budget #Budget2019 # ...

'Discount broking taking equity culture across the country'
The Hindu
For KYC, we take PAN card and Aadhaar card. We have made the processes smooth; we only require the pictures and no bank proof. If the customer ...

Illegal business of vehicles unearthed in Punjab
Business Standard
Two persons involved in this illegal business have been arrested and fake Aadhaar cards have been recovered from them, he said. Police suspected ...

'Budget direction for aspirational India', says former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
The New Indian Express
The change facilitated by the Jan Dhan accounts and Aadhaar laid the foundation for Direct Benefit Transfer to those who needed state support, said ...

The big news: Congress accuses BJP of engineering defections in Karnataka, and 9 other top stories
Scroll.in
Aadhaar can be used for cash transactions above Rs 50,000 instead of PAN, says revenue secretary: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had ...

Athi Varadar devotees seek hassle-free online booking
The Hindu
N.V. Srinivasa Rao from Chennai, who had a darshan of the wooden idol of Athi Varadar last week, said he was unable to add names and Aadhaar ...

Poor can get subsidised ration from any fair price shop in State: Tomar
The Hitavada
Seeing this, State Government came up with the idea of Aadhaar-based ration distribution and it was first implemented in Dewas district in June month ...

No need to phase out PAN, says Revenue Secy Ajay Bhushan Pandey
Moneycontrol.com
... maiden Budget speech on July 5, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that PAN and Aadhaarcard can now be used interchangeably.

Budget 2019: Visa, Mastercard, other credit card firms stare at losses as govt pushes for e-payments
Business Today
... inclined to provide other e-payment options -- including United Payments Interface (UPI), Aadhaar Pay, certain debit cards, UPI-QR Code, and NEFT ...

Budget for more power to customs officers, industry fears misuse
The New Indian Express
They would be required to produce their Aadhaar or other relevant documents. Incorrect information or documents could invite penal actions such as ...

Man arrested for duping people through online shopping
Outlook India
She was asked to submit some percentage of the prize value along with her photo and Aadhaar ID following which she deposited around Rs 62,000 ...

SAC approves transport subsidy scheme, timely honorarium to Anganwadi workers
Rising Kashmir Daily English Newspaper (press release)
approved Aadhaar linked payment mode for disbursement of pension to the beneficiaries under various Centrally and State sponsored schemes.

Budget 2019: Centre might be looking at second half of borrowing calendar to raise money ...
Moneycontrol.com
In the interest of ease of doing business, tax department is enabling the use of Aadhaar. Don't think there is any move to do away with PAN, it serves ...

Soon, order products from KIA shops online
Times of India
International passengers will have to show their passports and EPIC cards while domestic passengers will have to produce their Aadhaar cards or ...