How Aadhaar compromises Data Privacy - Moneylife
How Aadhaar compromises Data Privacy - Moneylife
Copied below is my response to a B S Raghavan article on AADHAAR published in the Hindu Business Line, December 23, 2011:
Review Aadhaar
“Aadhaar or Niraadhaar? That’s
the question!”(Business Line, December 23) sums up the present predicament of
UID project and the not so envious situation in which Mr. Nanden Nilekani is
placed. Nilekani doesn’t lose much,
because he gains experience in the learning process which will take him to
greater heights. Government has no prestige issue on such matters, because this
sort of meddling, cost and time overruns and huge losses are part of any game
government plays, at least in the recent past in India. 70 per cent of the 120 crore
people for whose benefit the project was allegedly conceived, are also not bothered about the present and
future of this wonderful exercise as they are literally unaware of the goings on,
because they are out of reach for the media. Then, why B S Raghavan is getting
over-worked about the success or failure of this Aadhaar? He represents the
voice of the taxpayer whose hard-earned money is being wasted and at whose
doors finally the buck will stop.
the question!”(Business Line, December 23) sums up the present predicament of
UID project and the not so envious situation in which Mr. Nanden Nilekani is
placed. Nilekani doesn’t lose much,
because he gains experience in the learning process which will take him to
greater heights. Government has no prestige issue on such matters, because this
sort of meddling, cost and time overruns and huge losses are part of any game
government plays, at least in the recent past in India. 70 per cent of the 120 crore
people for whose benefit the project was allegedly conceived, are also not bothered about the present and
future of this wonderful exercise as they are literally unaware of the goings on,
because they are out of reach for the media. Then, why B S Raghavan is getting
over-worked about the success or failure of this Aadhaar? He represents the
voice of the taxpayer whose hard-earned money is being wasted and at whose
doors finally the buck will stop.
UID, for various reasons
including inadequate funding, non-availability of in-house expertise and
resultant dependence on external agencies including banks and government
departments is bound to take much more time than originally envisaged, even to
cover the already ‘identified’ citizens. If government is convinced about the
utility of UID, the project should be allowed to merge with the Census of India
and access the infrastructure and methodology in use by that organization for
decades and fast-track the process.
including inadequate funding, non-availability of in-house expertise and
resultant dependence on external agencies including banks and government
departments is bound to take much more time than originally envisaged, even to
cover the already ‘identified’ citizens. If government is convinced about the
utility of UID, the project should be allowed to merge with the Census of India
and access the infrastructure and methodology in use by that organization for
decades and fast-track the process.
M G Warrier, Thiruvananthapuram
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