Since May 2009, the UID project is under implementation. Even
though any legislation sanctioning it is yet to be passed in the
Parliament, the UID authority is functioning. Rs.1950 crores has been
allocated to the project. In addition to this allocation, the census
expenditure has a budget of Rs. 3023 crores. The UIDAI plans to use the
census data, to issue Aadhar numbers. The total project is estimated to
cost Rs. 150,000 Crores. The budget for the Authority was passed with
the Government of India annual budget but without discussion on it or
setting up of UIDAI.
The UID project envisages recording ten finger prints and iris scan
of all people residing in India, allocating a unique number to each
individual whose biometric data is captured, and storing it in a
database with other basic information such as: name, parent’s name,
date of birth, gender, and address. Clearly, the UID project will
affect everyone residing in India. To ensure proper implementation it
is important to carry out a detailed study of the project's viability
and feasibility. That the project has been launched without such a
study is a matter of grave concern.
The authority presents the UID project to the public as a way to
prevent leakages in the PDS and MGNREGS. If the project could achieve
this, it would be a welcome solution, but even a cursory examination
reveals several reasons why this objective seems impossible to achieve.
Among these is the fact that many countries, after trying similar
projects, have abandoned them because they were found to be incapable
of achieving their projected objectives and posed high security risks.
For example, in a study that was conducted by the London School of
Economics on the UK Government's National ID card scheme, it was found
that it would not achieve the objective of preventing illegal
immigration and further that such a central database would itself
become a target for terrorists, The new elected UK government scrapped
the project in June 2010.
The UID project also raises many questions concerning the abuse of
personal data gathered in the process. The collection and logging of
data, done in the manner proposed by the UIDAI, is in effect similar to
“phone tapping”, a practice which can be abused by those overseeing it.
The data collection itself is outsourced to private agencies. The
linkages provided by UID to a person's data that is collected for the
UID to other databases, such as bank accounts or mobile phone companies
have the potential for serious abuse. Despite these concerns, the
UIDAI has already taken initiatives, such as collaborating with many
multinational and Indian private companies to for gathering data and
setting up / maintaining the database.
In this meeting diverse groups will express their viewpoints on the
subject and we hope you will be able to gain insight into this immense
project, its costs and impacts.
Please confirm your participation in the workshop at insafdelhi@gmail.com. This would help us make the necessary arrangements for your convenience.
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