Why Aadhaar is Niraadhaar: Jairam’s objections to the bill -Governance Now

Why Aadhaar is Niraadhaar: Jairam’s objections to the bill

Jairam Ramesh questions Aadhaar’s role in plugging subsidy leakages

GN Bureau | March 16, 2016

#Lok Sabha #parliament #Jairam Ramesh #Arun Jaitley #UIDAI #Aadhaar #Rajya Sabha

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh

After snubbing the finance minister in Rajya Sabha, Jairam Ramesh of Congress questioned the government’s claim of saving Rs 14,000 crore by integrating Aadhaar for the LPG subsidy. Citing a report by International Institute of Sustainable Development, a London-based think tank, which seriously doubts the claim of savings accrued by DBT-LPG, Ramesh asked about the study on the basis of which the government is making such tall claims.

“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,” Ramesh said.

It can’t be the basis of deciding whether one person will get subsidy and another won’t, he added.

He took a jibe on the NDA government’s “fascination” for coining new terms, like JAM –acronym for Jan-Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile. “To say that we have done subsidy sudhaar as we have made Aadhaar mandatory in subsidy distribution is wrong. It only tackles one part of the issue – of fake identity,” he said.

Voluntary not mandatory

He further stated that position of the UPA government and the Congress party has always been that Aadhaar is “voluntary and not mandatory”.

However, “It (clause 57) widens the ambit of Aadhaar. It makes it mandatory,” he said, adding that, “every individual who doesn’t desire to have an Aadhaar should have option of voluntarily opting out.”

Therefore, “this clause should be dropped,” he suggested.

National security vs privacy

The use of term ‘national security’ for overriding privacy clauses gives sweeping powers to the government.

Under the Telegraph Act, 1885, there is no term as national security. It carefully uses terms like ‘public emergency’ and ‘public safety’. “National security is a very broad term and amorphous,” he said. “Instead of using this term, the legislation should use ‘public emergency’ and ‘public safety’.”

Independent member in oversight committee

Ramesh recommended that an independent member should be in the oversight committee that would be headed by the cabinet secretariat.

No delegated legislation

The Aadhaar bill also confers huge powers to the UIDAI in terms of collection of information. If the authority wants to collect data or additional biometrics – DNA for example – they should come to parliament for its approval. “No legislative power should be delegated. The suo motu power to collect information doesn’t inspire public confidence,” he said.

Denial of service

“A study points out that 40 percent of Jan-Dhan account holders could not access their accounts for want of Aadhaar. There could be problems related to connectivity, problem with biometrics of old people or labourers.”

Comments

Other News

At Davos, Maharashtra inks MoUs worth Rs 15.70 lakh crore

The Maharashtra government has signed 54 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs. 15.70 lakh crore at the ongoing WOrld Economic Forum in Davos. The highest ever investment proposals of the state government are expected to generate 15.95 lakh jobs. The largest MoU was inked with Relianc

How Renewable Energy revolution is sweeping across India

As India accelerates its transition towards a sustainable future, its renewable energy (RE) sector has witnessed unprecedented growth. In 2024, the country made significant strides in solar and wind energy installations, policy advancements, and infrastructural improvements, setting the stage for ambitious

Celebrating ten years of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

The ministry of women and child development is set to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign, marking a decade of relentless efforts to protect, educate, and empower the girl child in India. This milestone aligns with the vision of a Viksit Bharat 2047 and the global

Bhashini provides translation support at this great congregation of languages

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MietY) has offered technological support at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj being held from January 13 to February 26, 2025 with the integration of Bhashini for multilingual accessibility. ‘Digital Lost & Found Solution&rs

CSIR’s new Innovation Complex to foster translational research, industry collaboration

India is home to many small and big industries where research is carried out, yet many innovators are not able to find a platform to bring their ideas into fruition. Despite having a vast network of government laboratories that perform ground breaking research, these innovations struggle to translate into