RATION CARD AADHAR CARD SATHE LINK NAHI HOY TO ANAJ NAHI MALE NEWS REPORT

Aadhaar, which means 'foundation' is a 12 digit unique-identity number (supposedly) issued to all Indian residents based on their biometric and demographic data. The data is collected by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), a statutory authority established in January 2009 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, benefits and services) Act, 2016. The claims of the validity of Aadhaar as a means of proving identity/ national ID number is being challenged in the Supreme Court of India, as it runs contrary to rules and laws that govern the concept of a National ID number worldwide, and instead Aadhaar ID issuance and linkages violates the privacy of citizens, as upheld by the Honorable Supreme Court of India.^[2]

Aadhaar is the world's largest biometric ID system, with over 1.19 billion enrolled members as of 30 Nov 2017.^[4] As of this date, over 99% of Indians aged 18 and above had been enrolled in Aadhaar.^[5] World Bank Chief Economist Paul Romer described Aadhaar as "the most sophisticated ID programme in the world".^[6] However, owing to increasing concerns around privacy, the potential for surveillance, and exclusion of eligible beneficiaries from welfare schemes from the leveraging of Aadhaar-based systems, the Aadhaar project's validity is being challenged in the Supreme Court of India ^[7] (as of November 2017).

Prior to the enactment of the Act, UIDAI functioned as an attached office of Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog) since 28 January 2009. On 3 March 2016, a money bill was introduced in the Parliament to give legislative backing to Aadhaar.^[8] On 11 March 2016, the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, benefits and services) Act, 2016 was passed in the Lok Sabha.^[9] On 26 March 2016, this Act was notified in the Gazette of India.^[10]

Aadhaar is a proof of residence and not a proof of citizenship. It does not itself grant any rights to domicile in India.^[11] In June 2017, the Home Ministry clarified that Aadhaar is not a valid identification document for Indians traveling to Nepal and Bhutan.^[12] Despite the comparisons, India's Aadhaar project is nothing like America's Social Security number as it has more uses and fewer safeguards.^[13]

On 23 September 2013, the Supreme Court issued an interim order saying that "no person should suffer for not getting Aadhaar" as the government cannot deny a service to a resident if s/he does not possess Aadhaar, as it is voluntary and not mandatory.^[14] In another interim order on 11 August 2015, the Supreme Court of India ruled that "UIDAI/Aadhaar will not be used for any other purposes except PDS, kerosene and LPG distribution system" (which order was later amended to include Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, all types of pensions schemes, employee provident fund and the Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana), and made it clear that even for availing these facilities Aadhaar card will not be mandatory.^[15][16][17] On 27 March 2017, the Supreme Court affirmed that Aadhaar can not be mandatory for availing benefits under welfare schemes, though it can be mandatory for other purposes (such as income tax filings, bank accounts etc.).^[17] On June 9, 2017, the Supreme Court of India partially read down a legal provision (Section 139AA of the Income Tax Act) which mandated an individual to link their Aadhaar for filing their Income Tax Returns. However reports of exclusion from welfare benefits due to technological breakdown of the Aadhaar system, from various states, have continued to flow. ^[18]

On 24 August 2017, Indian Supreme Court delivered a landmark verdict on Right to Privacy. The Court declared Right to Privacy as a fundamental right which is intrinsic to right to life. The order affects all 134 crore Indians. The apex court overruled previous judgments on the privacy issue and overruled an eight-judge bench judgment in the MP Sharma case and a six-judge bench judgment in Kharak Singh case. Some excerpts from the judgement are given below:^[19]

" ...privacy is not lost or surrendered merely because the individual is in a public place. Privacy attaches to the person since it is an essential facet of the dignity of the human being".

" The right of privacy is a fundamental right. It is a right which protects the inner sphere of the individual from interference from both State, and non-State actors and allows the individuals to make autonomous life choices..."

Some civil liberty groups, like Citizens Forum for Civil Liberties and Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF), have opposed the project over privacy concerns.^[20][21][22]

As of November 2017, a five-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court is yet to hear various 'tagged' cases relating to the validity of Aadhaar ^[23] on various grounds including privacy, surveillance and exclusion from welfare benefits. Despite it's validity being challenged in the court, the central government has pushed (often coerced) citizens to link their Aadhaar numbers with a host of services including mobile sim cards, bank accounts, Employee Provident Fund etc. and a large number of welfare schemes including but not limited to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Public Distribution System, and Old age pensions.^[24] Recent reports suggest that HIV patients have been forced to discontinue treatment for fear of identity breach as access to the treatment has become contingent on producing Aadhaar. ^[25]

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