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
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