[The initial idea was conceived back in 1999, under the Vajpayee-led NDA government. The Kargil Review Committee, appointed in 1999, in the wake of the Kargil War, in its report submitted later that year recommended: "steps [to] be taken to issue ID Cards to border villagers in certain vulnerable areas on a priority basis, pending its extension to other or all parts of the State". (Ref.: 'Notes from a contested history of National Identity Card in India:1999-2007' by Taha Mehmood, 9 December 2008, at < http://www.sacw.net/article391.html>.)
In 2001, "a Group of Ministers (GoM) submitted a report to the government titled Reforming the National Security System" and the report recommended that "There should be compulsory registration of citizens and non-citizens living in India. This will facilitate preparation of a national register of citizens. All citizens should be given a Multi-purpose National Identity Card (MNIC) and non-citizens should be issued identity cards of a different colour and design." (Source: 'The Unique ID project in India: A Skeptical Note' by R.Ramakumar, at < https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/greenyouth/Hiuog_woGLY/hbUIsp57QekJ;context-place=topic/greenyouth/JUhAPbbrNg0 >.) Cut to 2003, under the same NDA regime, "the Citizenship Act of 1955 was amended in 2003, soon after the MNIC was instituted" and "(a)ccording to the citizenship rules notified on 10 December 2003, the onus for registration was placed on the citizen himself: “it shall be compulsory for every Citizen of India to…get himself registered in the Local Register of Indian Citizens.”" Moreover, the "rules also specified punishments for citizens who fail to do so; any violation was to be “punishable with fine, which may extend to one thousand rupees.”" (Source: ibid.) In 2004, after the the UPA came to power, "carried forward the plans of the NDA government under a new name. The MNIC project was replaced by the UID project in January 2009" suggesting "a shift from a security angle to a developmental angle". (Source: ibid.) The government also made explicit claims to that effect. In mid-2009, Nandan Nilekani was appointed "as the Chairperson of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), in the rank of Cabinet Minister" after he resigned as a "Co-Chairman and Member of the Board at Infosys". (Source: < https://www.infosys.com/newsroom/press-releases/Pages/nandan-chairperson-UIDAI.aspx >.) And, the project acquired wings. In April 2010, as a part of the grand repackaging of the project, it was relabelled as "Aadhaar". (Ref.: < http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/uid-renamed-aadhaar-gets-new-logo-110042700098_1.html >.) Nilekani would, however, resign from the post in March 2014, in order to contest the ensuing parliamentary poll as a Congress candidate. In 2014, when the NDA, under Modi, came to power, the project was embraced by the new regime with full gusto, despite BJP's serious objections to the project aired earlier. Since then the project has acquired even more and more monstrous character. A surveilance state has emerged as a serious threat. ***"India is at risk of becoming a surveillance state, with faint resistance from libertarians, intellectuals, political parties, the media, or the Supreme Court. Very soon, almost everyone will have an Aadhaar number, seeded in hundreds of databases. Most of these databases will be accessible to the government without invoking any special powers. Permanent surveillance of all residents becomes a possibility. Only a simpleton would expect this possibility to remain unused."*** (Jean Dreze at < http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/dissent-and-aadhaar-4645231/ >. Also look up: < http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/all-that-data-that-aadhaar-captures/article19646150.ece >.) ***While authorised or unauthorised access to the data - by individuals or institutions, Indians or non-Indians, definitely poses serious threats, the "mother of all threats", obviously, comes from the very custodian of the data, the state itself.*** It is in that very conext, Jaitley's claim (reproduced at sl. no. I below, juxtaposed with Chidambaram's pathetic rationalisation of the UPA's track record in this regard, at sl. no. II below) that the "full potential was not realised by the then (UPA) government" sound so very ominous. Given that the project to inaugurate a surveillance state, replacing the current "democratic" edifice, albeit slowly and rather stealthily, is embedded in the very DNA of the BJP/RSS.] I/II. http://www.asianage.com/business/economy/130917/full-potential-of-aadhaar-not-realised-under-upa-regime-arun-jaitley.html Full potential of Aadhaar not realised under UPA regime: Arun Jaitley THE ASIAN AGE. Published : Sep 13, 2017, 11:51 am IST Updated : Sep 13, 2017, 6:13 pm IST Jaitley said Aadhaar under BJP will stand the test of constitutionality. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said Aadhaar under the BJP rule will stand the test of constitutionality. Photo: PTI New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said although concept of Aadhaar was an “important leap forward” under the UPA regime, its full potential was not realised by the then government. Speaking at the the Conclave on Financial Inclusion by United Nations in Delhi, Jaitley said the unique biometric identification number was an evolving idea under the previous UPA regime and did have legislative backing. “What the Aadhaar would be used for was not mentioned in the draft law,” he said. Jaitley said the Aadhaar legislation, passed during the BJP rule, will stand the test of constitutionality of using the unique identification number for giving government benefits. Referring to the right to privacy judgement, he said “Some of the illustrative restraints of the Article 21 that could be imposed are in the larger interest of the society, or for the purpose of detection of crime or for the distribution of social benefits. The third criteria is the principal purpose of Aadhaar,” he said. “Once you are able to create the identity network, you are able to make sure the resource of the state as a subsidy will reach those who really need it,” he said, adding untargetted subsidy can lead to huge wastage. II. http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/aadhaar-pan-go-back-and-read-george-orwell-uidai-4624174/ Across the aisle: Go back and read George Orwell The Yashwant Sinha-led committee slammed almost every aspect of Aadhaar and the Bill to establish the UIDAI. Written by P Chidambaram | Published:April 23, 2017 1:34 am What led to the idea of Aadhaar? Government transfers a number of benefits to different sections of the people. Aadhaar, a unique identification number to every citizen, was an idea born in 2009. Was it an idea ahead of its time? A lot of people thought so, especially people working at the ground level among the poor and the neglected sections of the people. Aadhaar was not a revolutionary idea. It is the foundation on which identity cards are issued in dozens of countries. Aadhaar was also not a novel idea. In India, other instruments have been issued — and are in use — which also serve as proof of identity for certain purposes. The best known are passports, driving licences, PAN and ration cards. What led to the idea of Aadhaar? Government transfers a number of benefits to different sections of the people. Among them are scholarships, old age pensions, subsidies etc. In a vast country with a very large population, the delivery of benefits to the right persons poses a formidable challenge. Impersonation, falsification, duplication, pilferage, diversion and rent-seeking are the bane of any system of delivering benefits. Aadhaar was intended to get rid of the known evils of the system. BJP Led The Opposition Yet, when the idea of Aadhaar was mooted, it ran into fierce opposition. Nowhere was the opposition expressed more vehemently than in the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance presented to both Houses of Parliament on December 13, 2011. Mr Yashwant Sinha, as Chairman of the Committee, led the charge against Aadhaar. From the pronouncements of prominent BJP leaders at that time (Mr Narendra Modi, Mr Prakash Javadekar and Mr Ananth Kumar) it was evident that Mr Sinha had the support of a powerful section of his party. Today, if he reads some of the conclusions of the committee, he will be embarrassed! The Yashwant Sinha-led committee slammed almost every aspect of Aadhaar and the Bill to establish the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). It questioned the wisdom of collecting biometric information; it warned of ID fraud; it pointed out that the estimate of failure of biometrics was as high as 15 per cent; it highlighted issues of privacy and data security; it cautioned against the involvement of private agencies, etc. The committee’s most serious objection was to the possible exclusion of genuine beneficiaries and it observed: “Although the scheme claims that obtaining Aadhaar number is voluntary, an apprehension is found to have developed in the minds of people that, in future, services/benefits including food entitlements would be denied in case they do not have Aadhaar number.” UPA Moved Cautiously Nevertheless, the UPA government moved forward cautiously, using its executive powers, a non-statutory UIDAI, and the impressive talent assembled by Mr Nandan Nilekani. Before the UPA demitted office, 600 million Aadhaar cards had been issued (now one billion) and some Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes had been linked to Aadhaar. Studies have indicated that the DBT works: transfer of old age pensions through DBT has reduced the incidence of poverty. Cash transfers, instead of transfer in kind, have not adversely impacted food consumption; on the contrary they have increased consumption of eggs, pulses, fish and meat. On the other hand, cash transfer instead of kerosene has increased the demand for fuel wood. However, sections of civil society continued to challenge Aadhaar, mainly on the ground that it may have the unintended consequence of excluding deserving beneficiaries. The Supreme Court stepped in and, in 2013, by an interim order, directed that Aadhaar could not be made mandatory to receive benefits. In 2015, the Court agreed to examine issues relating to privacy and referred the case to a larger bench of the Court. Aadhaar was permitted only for Direct Benefit Transfer schemes such as scholarships, social security payments, subsidised LPG and MGNREGA wages. On assuming office, the NDA/BJP government did a U-turn. Mr Arun Jaitley admitted as much when he said that, following a presentation by the UIDAI and satisfactory answers to their questions, the government was convinced about the merit of the Aadhaar project! While the change of heart was welcome, what one did not expect was that the government would throw all caution to the winds and extend Aadhaar, indiscriminately, to welfare as well as non-welfare programmes. The government has made the possession of Aadhaar practically mandatory to receive benefits or to comply with regulatory laws, thus brazenly disregarding the limits set by the Supreme Court. Aadhaar is now required to file an income-tax return, to get a mobile telephone connection, to receive a university degree and so on. Soon, it is feared, Aadhaar will be mandatory to get a driving licence or an air ticket or even a rail ticket. Will it then be extended to taking health insurance or becoming a member of a library or paying one’s club bills? The Privacy Issue That would be a gross and unconstitutional invasion of privacy. While a unique identity mark is necessary, it cannot become a potential device to spy on people’s lives or gather private information that has no relevance to good governance. We must remember we do not yet have a comprehensive law on data protection or privacy. Implementing an idea as far reaching as Aadhaar requires careful design, pilot projects, testing and validation, and robust security features. Absent these limiting factors, yet implementing Aadhaar on a mandatory basis, will give the government the instrument and the power to build a mass surveillance system and take one step toward an Orwellian State. 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