Joginder Singh, IPS(Retd)
Aadhaar is a unique Identification number issued by UIDAI to individuals for the purpose of establishing unique identification of every single person. Aadhaar is actually a 12-digit number and not a card which is only one of its kind ,for every individual who enrolls or applies to get his/her Aadhaar number.
Aadhaar is meant for individuals of any age (including children) for the purpose of establishing identities. Since Aadhaar is for only individuals, it is different for all the members of a family. For deciding uniqueness of every individual, the demographic details (residence address information) of the person and his/her biometric information (photograph, iris-scan, fingerprints) is collected which is stored in a centralized database.
However, it does not establish that a particular holder of Aadhaar is a citizen of India. May be in the quest of vote Bank Politics, the next step could have been to say that only those having Aadhaar card would be considered as the citizens of India.
All schemes for development or financial aid should have logically gone only to the Indian Citizens. But the Aadhaar card has given a free passport to even illegal migrants or overstaying Pakistani or Bangladeshis to get the benefit of free food grains or plans to transfer cash and subsidies directly into bank accounts of beneficiaries, as long as they have Aadhaar cards or numbers.
Though it was initially claimed that Aadhaar was voluntary a number of States Authorities had linked delivery of a whole array of services and subsidies such as those for cooking gas to Aadhaar cards. In states like Delhi, even marriage registration , property registration, income certification, handicap certification and caste certificates for the SC/ ST &OBC was not possible without the Aadhaar card.
Even the scheme costing Lakhs of Crores of Rupees like based cash transfers and the Food Security Scheme, have been linked to it.. Somebody asked me whether I had Aadhaar Card, I said no as I do not avail or need any subsidy from the Government.
He added that they way Government is expanding the scope of Aadhaar, you may need this card even to buy your rail or air ticket. The scheme was totally ill conceived as it is neither fowl nor fish. If the original aim was to find out, as to how many persons are residing in India, then when have Census every ten year.
Fortunately, the Supreme Court has held on 23rd September, 2013, that Aadhaar cannot be mandatory for release of benefits under social welfare schemes. The Supreme Court held “In the meanwhile, the Aadhaar card can’t be made mandatory If anyone applies for Aadhaar card, you have to verify whether he is a citizen of India or not. These cards cannot be issued to illegal migrants,” The judgment of the Supreme Court has not come a day too soon. One the one hand, the Government makes all the right noises about checking the infiltration of Bangladeshis, which according to a Statement made by the then late Union Home Minister, Sh. Inderjeet Gupta, numbered 2.5 crores in 1996. After 17 years their number would have been doubled or trebled, even if not a single new infiltrator has come to India, since then Now the entire demography of Assam and other North Eastern States has been changed by the unchecked infiltration of Bangladeshi as in some Districts, these people out number the original Indians in that area.
My own feeling is, that this Aadhaar business is politically motivated to have a captive vote Bank.
The decision of the Supreme Court has upset the apple cart and political calculations of some political parties. It has been rightly said that Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.
Heavens will not fall on the demise of the Aadhaar which had already added to the already existing mess. For writing this piece, I had a look at my bag, where I keep my identity cards. Hold your breath, I found the following cards, issued by the various Departments. This list includes all other cards, I do not have them which are required in India, by other category of citizens.
1. Driving License, which is required for driving your vehicle
2. My Home Ministry Card, of award of Distinguished Service Medal in the Indian Police, which gets me the Railway Concession
3. Passport, which I need to travel Abroad
4. My Identity Card, issued by the Home Ministry for having retired as Special Secretary to the Government of India. In the case of others, it is by the Concerned Department or the Ministry.
5. My Permanent Account Number or PAN, without which I cannot file my income tax return.
6. My Ration Card for availing of PDS system rations. Of course, I never draw any ration, but many Department requires you to show the Ration Card as a proof of identity or residence.
7. Voters Identification Card, issued by the Election Commission
8. Central Government Health Scheme Identity Cards.. It is required for the serving as well as retired employees, before you can consult a Government CGHS Doctor and get medicines.
9. My Airlines Card ( Three different Airlines) for Flying return to encash my travelling mileage,
10. National Population Card. ( This has been kept on hold in favour of Aadhaar)
11. A photo identity card, issued by the concerned Organization or department, where a Government employees is serving to gain access to his office. I had an old one, and since nobody checks it, it can come handy.
12. National Rural Employment Guarantee Photo card in case of those who are taking advantage of the scheme. ( It is not applicable in my Case.)
13. Air port identity card issued only to the senior officers, who can gains access to any area on need basis.
14. All the above, are over the top, of gun or arms license, with your photo, ( However the criminals and terrorists care two hoots for the arms licenses, as the number of Maoists , Naxalites, and terrorists killings and murder statistics show.)
15. ATM Bank Cards,
16. Freedom Fighters Identity Card.
17. MP’s Photo Identity Card, (only for the present or past members of Parliament) for free travelling by Air or Train in the highest class.
18. Electricity and Telephone Department Bills. They are often required by the Police and other Departments to satisfy itself that you are living at the given address. These are what I remember. There might be many more.
At the rate the requirements of the identification are proliferating, the day is not far off, when each department of the Government will squander the tax payer’s money and insist on its own identification card ( Like Central Government Health Scheme, Issued by the Health Ministry) only for any concession or benefit to be derived from it.
If the Government wanted to know, as to how many persons are living in India, it could as well used, the basis of 2011 data. It is surprising that inspite of the best brains in the Government, the Government has not thought of one multipurpose card and link it expiry with the death of the person concerned. There could be a column for each department.
Multiplicity of cards makes it easier to forge it on need basis of the person requiring it. Our leaders and politicians all over the world, have messed up the things so badly, that they have become butts of joke, like the Politics being a strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. Steve Chapman said humorously that “Politicians may think prostitution is a grim, degrading life. But prostitutes think the same of politics.” Ronald Reagan, himself a politicians said “Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession.
I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first ( prostitution).” If any proof or “Aadhaar” was needed in our country, “Aadhaar” proves it, where in the Supreme Court had to step in rectify the muddled and chaotic situation and that also about an identity card.
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