MONOGRAPH

Government and UIDAI vigorously promote the UID

scheme. They claim various benefits, like reduction in corruption,

euphemistically termed – “Leakages”, in government’s welfare

measures. these claims are made based on conjecture, whim, feelings,

and perhaps, some hope. A huge scheme, with immeasurable

impact, almost certainly, adverse, has been launched with absolutely

no study or thought. Government authorities have bought the rosy

picture that a former private sector IT honcho painted. Such use

of IT and more especially, biometrics has never been attempted on

this scale. !ere is very large body of evidence of the impracticality

of such use of IT and biometrics. !e audacity with which those in

charge have plunged into the UID scheme defies logic.

The media, in particular, have been silent, and on many an

occasion even supportive of the scheme. Intriguingly, most news

about the scheme “nds place in business pages of print media. !ere

is a dreadful combination of ignorance, sycophancy and greed in

promoting a scheme, which while spending public money, provides

business opportunities for pro”table exploitation.

The public are largely ignorant and mostly unconcerned.

Many believe that since, Government is promoting the scheme, it

could have some use. Some are apprehensive about losing out on

government largesse and rush to enrol in the scheme. Government,

UIDAI and media encourage such herd behaviour through leaks

which suggest that one or the other of welfare subsidies would be

“linked” to UID. !is they do, while projecting UID as voluntary.

!e deceit has so far been successful.

A few, who have studied UID and similar schemes, realised

that this is a sinister ploy of Government. We are among those who

have understood that the gathering of people’s data, in the manner

in which it is done through private foreign and Indian “rms poses

dangers to the Nation and all of us. We questioned UIDAI and

governments and failed to receive satisfactory answers. We have

addressed or elected representatives, in Parliament and in the States.

Our approach to Parliament was singularly successful. A Parliament

Standing Committee to which, the National Identi”cation Authority

of India, Bill 2010 was referred trashed the Bill as well as the UID

scheme.

We believe that the truth about UID be told to the people

of India. !is Monograph is the result of our commitment to this

cause. In the Monograph, we present various perspectives of those

who have examined UID, through articles they wrote for us. We

included in the Monograph a few RTI queries and UIDAI’s replies,

to show the scheme up, for what it truly is. We have included

material garnered from the Internet to call attention to the need to

halt the scheme, investigate the inferences that could be drawn from

the information and take an informed decision on the UID scheme.

I have compiled this Monograph with help from the

contributing authors and others.

!ursday, 22 November 2012 Mathew !omas

(Mathew !omas is a former Defence Scientist. He is now a civic activist)

DOWNALOD THE MONOGRAPH BELOW

DOWNLOAD MONOGRAPH HERE