‘Oppose mandatory Aadhaar for social benefits’
6 years, 2 months ago

‘Oppose mandatory Aadhaar for social benefits’

The Hindu  

With five States set to go to the polls this month, the Right to Food Campaign has decided to raise the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar for availing social benefits an electoral issue. ‘Amend Aadhaar Act’ “We intend to go to all political parties with a single agenda on Aadhaar, demanding that the Aadhaar Act be amended so that the mandatory or compulsory use of Aadhaar is prohibited,” the Right to Food campaign and a clutch of associated social sector groups said in a joint statement. In places like Rajasthan and Jharkhand, where biometric authentication has been made mandatory for accessing National Food Security Act benefits, lakhs of people have been affected, the activists said. “We intend to ask people on the ground who have been the victims of this huge experiment to make it clear during the elections that they will target parties who have thrust the mandatory use of Aadhaar upon them,” the groups said in the statement.

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History of this topic

Centre ‘deactivating’ Aadhaar cards to stop people from getting social benefits: Mamata
10 months, 4 weeks ago

Centre ‘deactivating’ Aadhaar cards to stop people from getting social benefits: Mamata

The Hindu  

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on February 18 alleged that the BJP-led Central Government "deactivated" Aadhaar cards of people in the State before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections so that they do not get the benefits of various social welfare schemes of her government through their bank accounts. Speaking at a public distribution programme in Suri in Birbhum district, …

Modi govt 'weaponising' Aadhaar to deny most vulnerable citizens their social welfare benefits: Congress
1 year, 4 months ago

Modi govt 'weaponising' Aadhaar to deny most vulnerable citizens their social welfare benefits: Congress

The Hindu  

The Congress on Wednesday accused the government of "weaponising" Aadhaar and technology to deny the most vulnerable citizens their social welfare benefits and demanded release of payments due to MGNREGA workers. "A large amount of the delay payment compensation due to the workers has not been released yet, nor even acknowledged by the Modi government, despite repeated demands," Mr. Ramesh …

Expanding Aadhaar to private entities is risky
1 year, 7 months ago

Expanding Aadhaar to private entities is risky

Hindustan Times  

In a landmark 4-1 verdict in 2018, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, but struck down section 57, which allowed the use of Aadhaar authentication and E-KYC by private companies to establish an identity for delivering services. Explaining its ruling, the top court said that the section struck at the heart of an individual’s privacy, …

Secure Aadhaar data from misuse
1 year, 8 months ago

Secure Aadhaar data from misuse

Hindustan Times  

Last week, the government proposed to tweak rules regarding Aadhaar to allow entities other than the government for identity verification, a report in this newspaper noted. However, in 2019, the government tweaked the Aadhaar Act to allow some private companies — telecom providers and financial institutions — to seek Aadhaar voluntarily. The scale, and the associated problems of privacy and …

Is Aadhaar for greater social good?
2 years ago

Is Aadhaar for greater social good?

The Hindu  

The passage of time does not seem to have removed the concern of people about the safety of Aadhaar data. It was more than six-seven years ago that cooking gas consumers in Tamil Nadu began seeding their Aadhaar and bank account details with their LPG consumer numbers for receiving the subsidy and the ration cardholders integrated the Aadhaar data of …

Aadhaar-Voter ID Linking Voluntary; Voters' Names Won't Be Removed For Not Linking Voter ID With Aadhaar : Union Law Minister
2 years ago

Aadhaar-Voter ID Linking Voluntary; Voters' Names Won't Be Removed For Not Linking Voter ID With Aadhaar : Union Law Minister

Live Law  

On Friday, while responding to a very pointed question raised by three Members of Parliament, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said that names of the voters whose voter IDs are not linked with Aadhaar will not be struck off from the voter list. Amidst allegations that the election authorities are mandating linking of Aadhaar with Voter IDs, in October, 2022, …

Supreme Court Of India Issues Notice On Plea Challenging Aadhaar-Voter ID Card Linkage
2 years, 2 months ago

Supreme Court Of India Issues Notice On Plea Challenging Aadhaar-Voter ID Card Linkage

Live Law  

The Supreme Court of India on Monday issued notice in a petition challenging the power of the Election Commission of India to use the Aadhaar database in the process of deletion and updation of entries in the electoral roll. 28 of the Representation of People's Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 2022 and two notifications regarding Aadhaar-Voter Card …

DC Edit | Volte-face and quick fixes can’t protect Indians’ data
2 years, 7 months ago

DC Edit | Volte-face and quick fixes can’t protect Indians’ data

Deccan Chronicle  

The confusing communications from the Union government on Aadhaar or the unique identification number, and the angst and disquiet these caused to the people, are the result of the ad hoc approach it has taken to the implementation of the whole project since its very inception. Recently, it withdrew a notification asking Aadhaar card holders not to share the number …

Delhi High Court Dismisses Plea Challenging Mandatory Aadhar Requirement For Availing Ration Under National Food Security Act
2 years, 9 months ago

Delhi High Court Dismisses Plea Challenging Mandatory Aadhar Requirement For Availing Ration Under National Food Security Act

Live Law  

The Delhi High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation challenging the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar card to avail free ration under the National Food Security Act, 2013. Suppose you have a legal right under NFSA which is now constitutional right as per Puttaswamy, then your right can be taken away only on provisions mentioned in Aadhaar Act…Parliament enacted both …

Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr | Aadhaar’s use and misuse: Govt spreads its tentacles
3 years ago

Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr | Aadhaar’s use and misuse: Govt spreads its tentacles

Deccan Chronicle  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi displays a neophyte’s zeal for the use of Aadhaar, an idea that he had strongly opposed when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. The Supreme Court’s judgment that there can be legitimate reasons for State intrusion into the privacy of the citizen had been used by Mr Rijiju to defend the use of Aadhaar’s new …

Thinking before linking: On linking electoral rolls with Aadhaar
3 years ago

Thinking before linking: On linking electoral rolls with Aadhaar

The Hindu  

An unwillingness to allow meaningful debate and invite wider consultation can undo even the progressive aspects of problematic legislation. On the face of it, the Bill’s objective — to purify the rolls and weed out bogus voters — may appear laudable, and the seeding of Aadhaar data with voter identity particulars may seem to be a good way of achieving …

The Aadhaar-voter ID link
3 years ago

The Aadhaar-voter ID link

Hindustan Times  

Amendments to the election law to allow the interlinking of Aadhaar and the voter identity database were cleared by the Lok Sabha amid resistance from the Opposition. The idea to use the biometrics-based identity to clean up electoral rolls goes back more than five years, when the Election Commission carried out pilot projects to remove unverifiable entries in some states. …

Aadhaar as a hurdle: The Hindu Editorial on biometric authentication failures and welfare delivery
3 years, 9 months ago

Aadhaar as a hurdle: The Hindu Editorial on biometric authentication failures and welfare delivery

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, did the right thing by terming as serious the allegation by a petitioner that three crore ration cards were cancelled for not being linked with the Aadhaar database and that these were connected to reported starvation deaths in some States. Following the Court’s judgment in 2018, upholding the Aadhaar programme as a reasonable restriction on …

'Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance Rules' Notified [Read Rules]
4 years, 5 months ago

'Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance Rules' Notified [Read Rules]

Live Law  

Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance Rules, 2020, have been notified today.These Rules have been framed invoking powers conferred by Section 53 and 53 Aadhaar Rules, 2020, have been notified today. Section provides that an entity may be allowed to perform authentication, if the Authority is satisfied that the requesting entity is— compliant with such standards of privacy and security as …

Government preparing law to link Aadhaar to Voter ID
4 years, 11 months ago

Government preparing law to link Aadhaar to Voter ID

India TV News  

Union Law Ministry has been working on a Cabinet note to prepare a new law after considering the Election Commission's proposal to give it statutory backing to collect the Aadhaar numbers of new applicants and existing voters to check multiple entries in the electoral rolls. "The Ministry is busy in preparing a Cabinet note considering Election Commission's proposal to tweak …

Home ministry issues notification making Aadhaar mandatory for benefits under scheme for civilian victims of terror, communal violence
4 years, 11 months ago

Home ministry issues notification making Aadhaar mandatory for benefits under scheme for civilian victims of terror, communal violence

Firstpost  

Aadhaar will be required for getting benefits under a central government scheme for providing financial assistance to family members of victims of violence perpetrated by terrorists or Naxals, and communal riots New Delhi: Aadhaar will be required for getting benefits under a central government scheme for providing financial assistance to family members of victims of violence perpetrated by terrorists or …

Aadhaar still excludes homeless and transgender people from being enrolled: Study
5 years, 1 month ago

Aadhaar still excludes homeless and transgender people from being enrolled: Study

Firstpost  

An estimated 102 million people do not have Aadhaar, including 30 percent of India’s homeless population and more than a quarter of its third-gender citizens Ten years after it was introduced, India’s national digital identity system is becoming ubiquitous in the country, even as large numbers of homeless and transgender people are excluded and many denied essential services, a study …

Cabinet approves amendments to Aadhaar Bill
5 years, 5 months ago

Cabinet approves amendments to Aadhaar Bill

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Further strengthening Aadhar in India, the Cabinet on Wednesday approved official amendments to the Aadhaar and Other Laws Bill 2019, while providing a fillip to India's sugarcane farming sector. The Bill replaces the provision to state that an individual may voluntarily use his Aadhaar number to establish his identity, by authentication or offline verification. The Bill also states …

Aadhaar bill passed, Ordinance on its use not valid anymore: Centre tells High Court
5 years, 6 months ago

Aadhaar bill passed, Ordinance on its use not valid anymore: Centre tells High Court

India TV News  

The Centre on Tuesday said the Ordinance on the issue of voluntary use of Aadhaar biometric ID in the private sector did not survive, as the Parliament had already passed the amendment bill. President Ram Nath Kovind had in March given his assent to the Aadhaar Ordinance that allowed voluntary use of Aadhaar as ID proof for obtaining mobile SIM …

Aadhaar Amendment Bill passed in Lok Sabha
5 years, 6 months ago

Aadhaar Amendment Bill passed in Lok Sabha

India TV News  

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a bill to allow voluntary use of Aadhaar as proof of identity for opening bank accounts and procuring mobile phone. "Even if I, as an, Information Technology Minister, seek Aadhaar data, I will be subject to 3 years of punishment," Prasad said. He said the government has saved Rs 1.41 lakh crore due to …

Aadhaar Bill seeking its use as ID to open bank accounts passes in Lok Sabha
5 years, 6 months ago

Aadhaar Bill seeking its use as ID to open bank accounts passes in Lok Sabha

India Today  

Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Aadhaar and Other Laws Bill, 2019. Amid Opposition raising several objections to the proposed amendments in the bill, the Lok Sabha cleared the bill that seeks to allow voluntary use of Aadhaar as an identity proof. The bill proposes to allow Aadhaar cardholders to use it as an identity proof to open bank accounts …

Has Aadhaar improved welfare delivery?
5 years, 8 months ago

Has Aadhaar improved welfare delivery?

Live Mint  

New Delhi: On Aadhaar.there is no vision, only political gimmick,” tweeted Narendra Modi in 2014, just a month before he became Prime Minister. Proponents argue that Aadhaar, by providing a unique identity and allowing biometric authentication, delivers the gains to actual beneficiaries, instead of fake or duplicates, thereby cutting leakages. This includes the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme …

Presidential assent to Aadhaar ordinance: 5 things to know
5 years, 10 months ago

Presidential assent to Aadhaar ordinance: 5 things to know

Live Mint  

As the Rajya Sabha could not consider the amendments in the Aadhaar Act 2016 during the budget session, President Ram Nath Kovind has approved an ordinance to allow voluntary use of the biometric ID as KYC proof for obtaining mobile SIM cards and opening bank accounts. Here are 5 things to know about the Aadhaar ordinance: 1) The ordinance allows …

President's nod to ordinance for voluntary use of Aadhaar as ID proof for bank account, SIM
5 years, 10 months ago

President's nod to ordinance for voluntary use of Aadhaar as ID proof for bank account, SIM

India TV News  

President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to an ordinance that allows voluntary use of Aadhaar as ID proof for obtaining mobile SIM cards and opening bank accounts. The ordinance gives effect to the changes in the Aadhaar Act such as giving a child an option to exit from the biometric ID programme on attaining 18 years of age. …

Opinion | The Aadhaar amendment and private sector access
6 years ago

Opinion | The Aadhaar amendment and private sector access

Live Mint  

In the most recent twist in the Aadhaar saga, the Lok Sabha passed the Aadhaar Amendment Bill last week. The bill is clearly the government’s attempt to facilitate the continued use of the Aadhaar infrastructure within the constraints laid down by the Supreme Court. The most strident criticisms of the amendment bill have, however, been reserved for the manner in …

Lok Sabha passes Bill to amend Aadhaar Act
6 years ago

Lok Sabha passes Bill to amend Aadhaar Act

The Hindu  

The Lok Sabha on Friday passed a Bill to amend the Aadhaar Act and two related laws which will allow individuals to offer voluntarily biometric ID as a means of identity verification for obtaining services such as opening a bank account and getting a mobile phone connection. The Aadhaar and Other Laws Bill proposes changes in the Aadhaar Act, Indian …

Aadhaar Amendment Bill grants broad, vague powers; privacy needs to be priority
6 years ago

Aadhaar Amendment Bill grants broad, vague powers; privacy needs to be priority

Firstpost  

A bill to amend the Aadhaar Act, the Aadhaar Amendment Bill, 2018, was introduced in Parliament recently, leading to immediate objections on the lack of prior public consultation as well as questions on its constitutionality. Apart from provisions to bring the Aadhaar Act, 2016, in line with the Supreme Court judgment on Aadhaar, the Bill also introduces several provisions to …

UIDAI has new plans to make Aadhaar enrolment, updation easier
6 years ago

UIDAI has new plans to make Aadhaar enrolment, updation easier

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The UIDAI is mulling allowing Common Service Centres to provide non-biometric assistance for Aadhaar enrolment and updation services, including helping public in filling online forms, according to a government source. Village-level Entrepreneurs or VLEs, who run CSCs, have been asking the government to allow them to restart Aadhaar enrolment and updation services, after UIDAI restricted these centres and …

Govt Tables Bill to Allow Voluntary Use of Aadhaar for SIMs, Banks
6 years ago

Govt Tables Bill to Allow Voluntary Use of Aadhaar for SIMs, Banks

The Quint  

The bill seeks to amend the Aadhaar Act, 2016, the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002. The legislation proposes telecom service providers, apart from using Aadhaar for authentication, can also leverage offline verification, use of passport, or any other officially valid document or modes of identification as notified by the central Government. The amendments, according …

Govt tables bill to allow voluntary use of Aadhaar for SIM, bank account; stiff penalties for violation of norms
6 years ago

Govt tables bill to allow voluntary use of Aadhaar for SIM, bank account; stiff penalties for violation of norms

Firstpost  

The bill proposes a civil penalty of up to Rs 1 crore on entities that violate the provisions of the Aadhaar Act, with an additional fine of up to Rs 10 lakh per day in case of continuous non-compliance. New Delhi: The government on Wednesday introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha that will allow individuals to offer voluntarily biometric …

Companies violating Aadhaar Act provisions may be fined up to Rs1 crore
6 years ago

Companies violating Aadhaar Act provisions may be fined up to Rs1 crore

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The government has proposed a penalty of up to ₹ 1 crore on entities that violate the provisions of the Aadhaar Act, with an additional fine of up to ₹ 10 lakh per day in case of continuous non-compliance, sources said.Amid privacy concerns over Aadhaar, amendments have been planned in the Act, under which the government also proposes …

Aadhaar no longer mandatory for mobile numbers, bank accounts as Cabinet approves law amendment
6 years ago

Aadhaar no longer mandatory for mobile numbers, bank accounts as Cabinet approves law amendment

Firstpost  

The Supreme Court had struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act that made seeding of the biometric ID with SIMs and bank accounts mandatory, saying it had no legal backing. New Delhi: The Cabinet Monday approved amending the two existing laws to provide legal backing for seeding of biometric ID Aadhaar with mobile numbers and bank accounts, sources said. …

Laws to be amended to let private firms use Aadhaar
6 years ago

Laws to be amended to let private firms use Aadhaar

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The government has decided to amend the Telegraph Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in order to allow private entities such as banks and telecom service providers access to Aadhaar as one of the “know your customer” methods. The cabinet also approved 10-year jail terms for those found guilty of data breach; use of quick response …

Activists unhappy with SC's Aadhaar Act order on social benefits
6 years, 2 months ago

Activists unhappy with SC's Aadhaar Act order on social benefits

The Quint  

New Delhi, Nov 5 About 170 members of various campaigns working with vulnerable groups on Monday expressed disappointment with the Supreme Court's September 20 order of upholding parts of the Aadhaar Act allowing the state to make the use of Aadhaar and biometric authentication mandatory for citizens to receive social benefits. "We were hoping and expecting that the Supreme Court …

India's Biometric ID System Has Led To Starvation For Some Poor, Advocates Say
6 years, 3 months ago

India's Biometric ID System Has Led To Starvation For Some Poor, Advocates Say

NPR  

India's Biometric ID System Has Led To Starvation For Some Poor, Advocates Say Enlarge this image toggle caption Lauren Frayer/NPR Lauren Frayer/NPR India has 1.3 billion people, and no equivalent of the Social Security number. Sponsor Message The government says this system, called Aadhaar — "foundation" in Hindi — has helped to distribute welfare to the country's neediest; streamline the …

Finding an equilibrium
6 years, 3 months ago

Finding an equilibrium

The Hindu  

A thicket of Aadhaar litigation has now ended with the decision of a five-judge Supreme Court Bench comprising the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices A.K. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, but that nine-judge Bench had left open the question of Aadhaar: whether the “national security” perspective and “social welfare state” perspective provided constitutional grounds for “reasonable restrictions”. …

‘Happy that private firms will not have access to Aadhaar’
6 years, 3 months ago

‘Happy that private firms will not have access to Aadhaar’

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court verdict upholding the constitutional validity of Aadhaar was met with varied reactions from Delhiites. While some continued to raise questions about invasion of privacy, others were happy that certain riders had been introduced that banned private companies making Aadhaar compulsory for services like getting a SIM card, admission into educational institutions and bank accounts. Rethink Aadhaar, a …

Aadhaar survives
6 years, 3 months ago

Aadhaar survives

The Hindu  

The Aadhaar project has survived a fierce legal challenge. Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016, has been struck down to the extent that it authorised body corporates and individuals to use the Aadhaar number to establish someone’s identity. It was perhaps this pragmatic imperative that led the majority to conclude that the government was justified in the passage of …

Curbs on use of Aadhaar data a blow to fintech firms and payment banks
6 years, 3 months ago

Curbs on use of Aadhaar data a blow to fintech firms and payment banks

Live Mint  

New Delhi: In a major blow to fintech companies and payment banks which rely on Aadhaar to authenticate customers, the Supreme Court in its landmark judgement on Wednesday held the use of Aadhaar information by private companies as unconstitutional. Private companies, mostly from the fintech industry, which sell various products such as loans, mutual funds and insurance, use Aadhaar to …

Supreme Court strikes down some sections of Aadhaar Act: What it means
6 years, 3 months ago

Supreme Court strikes down some sections of Aadhaar Act: What it means

Live Mint  

New Delhi: In a historic judgement, the Supreme Court on Wednesday laid down the blueprint of a revamped legal framework for Aadhaar, fine-tuning the scheme’s focus from inclusion—its original raison d’etre—to the prevention of exclusion. While affirming the constitutional validity of Aadhaar, the apex court in a move aimed at protecting data said the Aadhaar Regulations which permits authentication records …

Can Aadhaar be made mandatory? Supreme Court verdict today
6 years, 3 months ago

Can Aadhaar be made mandatory? Supreme Court verdict today

Deccan Chronicle  

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on Wednesday on a bunch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar law on the ground that it violated human rights and right to privacy in every possible way and subjected the citizens to continued surveillance. The overall impact of Aadhaar law, which affects ‘right to privacy’ and lacked security …

For India's poor, Aadhaar card can be the difference between life and death
6 years, 4 months ago

For India's poor, Aadhaar card can be the difference between life and death

Deccan Chronicle  

Ramgarh: Prem Malhar says his 50-year-old father died of hunger a few months ago because he did not have the government’s Aadhaar identity card that would have given him access to subsidised food. They say the deaths have occurred since authorities cancelled old handwritten government ration cards last year and replaced them with the biometric Aadhaar card to weed out …

Use of Aadhaar for its health insurance scheme desirable but not mandatory, govt clarifies
6 years, 6 months ago

Use of Aadhaar for its health insurance scheme desirable but not mandatory, govt clarifies

ABP News  

New Delhi: The government on Thursday clarified that Aadhaar is "desirable" but not mandatory to avail benefits under the Centre's ambitious Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission. The clarification came after a section of the media reported that the Centre had published a gazette notification making Aadhaar mandatory for beneficiaries under its health insurance scheme. "Notification of the Ayushman …

Aadhaar not mandatory for Ayushman Bharat, says Health Ministry
6 years, 6 months ago

Aadhaar not mandatory for Ayushman Bharat, says Health Ministry

India TV News  

The government clarified on Thursday that Aadhaar card was not mandatory for taking benefits under Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission. A Health Ministry release said that ABNHPM guidelines on beneficiary identification very clearly state that people can bring any other valid identity proof approved by the state if they do not have an Aadhaar. Ayushman Bharat will cover …

Making Aadhaar Accessible: A Roadmap for Vulnerable Sections of India
6 years, 11 months ago

Making Aadhaar Accessible: A Roadmap for Vulnerable Sections of India

Deccan Chronicle  

The article discusses the challenges faced by vulnerable sections of society in obtaining and using Aadhaar cards, a biometric identification system in India. It highlights the need to make Aadhaar more user-friendly and inclusive to address the concerns of the poor, homeless, and senior citizens. The article proposes several interim solutions to provide relief to these vulnerable groups until a …

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