New Delhi: The Supreme Court today asked the government to explain why the Aadhar card is sti being treated as mandatory by the government fo citizens who want to get their marriages or property registered, or receive a gas connection. In September, the court had ruled that the card cannot be a prerequisite for public services. 1. The Aadhar scheme gives every citizen a uniqu 12-digit identity number linked to the persons biometrics. It was introduced in 2009. 2. The Aadhar scheme has been designed as a radical overhaul of the countrys $61-billion 3.72 lakh crore welfare system. It allows the government to make cash payments directly t the needy. 3. The scheme has been challenged by activist Aruna Roy, a former Karnataka High Court judge K Puttaswamy and others. Some say tha the privacy of citizens is being violated by the collection of their biometrics, and the information collected can be misused. 4. The top court today made it clear that biometric data collected from citizens cannot be shared with anyone. The Goa police had sought information about those whove enrolled with the Aadhar scheme in connectio with a young childs unsolved gang-rape in th state. 5. Once every citizen has been enrolled, only those with a UID (unique identity) and a bank account will be able to receive direct cash transfers from the government for their entitlements. 6. The schemes database of biometrics which includes scanned irises and fingerprints will, when complete, be the largest of its kind in t world. 7. The idea of the electronic cash transfer sche is to combat corruption by removing middlemen who often demand bribes to dispense subsidised products or services and plug leakages of subsidised grain, fuel and fertilizer. 8. The government also sees cash transfers as making welfare schemes easier to monitor an reform if necessary. 9. The Aadhar scheme is being rolled out by the Unique Identification Authority of India or UIDAI, till recently headed by Nandan Nilekan who co-founded software giant Infosys. He is now contesting the national election as the Congress candidate from Bangalore South. 0. The government says it has already spent near 50,000 crores on the scheme.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:02:12 +0000