---
title: "Aadhaar An Assault On Welfare Privacy And Democracy Need For An Urgent Debate"
description: "The Aadhaar project, to provide a unique number to all residents in India, was packaged as a welfare-enabling programme. It was sold as an initiative for greater inclusiveness in welfare, a tool again..."
pubDate: 2017-02-28
author: Rethink Aadhaar
category: Uncategorized
originalUrl: https://rethinkaadhaar.in/blog/aadhaar-an-assault-on-welfare-privacy-and-democracy-need-for-an-urgent-debate
---

The Aadhaar project, to provide a unique number to all residents in India, was packaged as a welfare-enabling programme. It was sold as an initiative for greater inclusiveness in welfare, a tool against corruption, greater efficiency and so on. Six years down the line, there is mounting evidence of the destruction of welfare programmes due to Aadhaar-linkage. Moreover, the Aadhaar project has a sinister side to it – it is a surveillance-enabling programme, which threatens privacy and democratic practice. People have been lulled into believing that privacy is the price we have to pay for better implementation of welfare programmes. In fact, the Aadhaar project is endangering both – welfare, as well as privacy.
The UIDAI claims that over a billion people have been enrolled into the system, several legal challenges to the project have been filed (but not heard for over a year), a law has been passed, and the interim orders of the Supreme Court that attempted to rein in the project still stand. These orders have been regularly flouted with impunity. The Aadhaar project with all its fundamental weaknesses and dangerous effects, is steadily becoming a part of daily life for millions.
Below are excerpts from articles which discuss each of these aspects: the propaganda on welfare, exclusion and disruption of welfare programmes due to Aadhaar, the legal concerns, surveillance-enabling aspects of the programme, as well as some indications of the commercial interests that might be behind it. These different links represent some of the writings that have been published in the media. The last part of this email contains a short explanation of the current status of the project and the Supreme Court orders in the context of the passage of the law.
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## **Overview**“Aadhaar was built on a techno-utopian foundation to plug leakages. It abridges the rights of citizens, and imposes severe hardships on the poor.” ([Threats to Citizen’s Rights](http://www.frontline.in/cover-story/threat-to-citizen-rights/article8408824.ece), Usha Ramanathan)
“The Aadhaar Bill, passed as a money bill, has uncertain benefits, and opens the door to mass surveillance. This danger needs to be seen in the light of recent attacks on the right to dissent.” ([The Aadhaar Coup](http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/jean-dreze-on-aadhaar-mass-surveillance-data-collection/article8352912.ece), Jean Drèze)
 “In view of the afore-mentioned concerns and apprehensions about the UID scheme, particularly concerning the contradictions and ambiguities within the Government on its implementation as well as its implications, the [Standing] Committee categorically convey their unacceptability of the National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010 in its present form…The committee would, thus, urge the Government to reconsider and review the UID scheme as also the proposals contained in the Bill in all its ramifications and bring forth a fresh legislation before Parliament.” ([And the UID juggernaut keeps rolling on](http://thewire.in/3068/and-the-unique-identification-juggernaut-keeps-rolling-on/), Reetika Khera)
## **Propaganda on welfare and savings**“UID cannot prevent exclusion errors. Other technologies, simpler, safer and cheaper than UID, can help reduce corruption and improve portability.”* *([UID: Does Evidence Matter?](http://www.ideasforindia.in/article.aspx?article_id=250), Reetika Khera)
“Aadhaar was supposed to be a "game-changer" and improve the implementation of welfare programmes. Indeed, it is living up to its game-changing promise - except, it is doing this by wrecking welfare programmes.” ([Yes, Aadhaar is a game changer in wrecking welfare](http://www.ndtv.com/opinion/yes-aadhaar-is-a-game-changer-in-wrecking-welfare-schemes-1434424), Reetika Khera)
“While the government painted a highly exaggerated picture of savings from the direct benefit transfers for LPG, the media played along with this portrayal.” ([Big Media’s Take on Aadhaar-LPG Savings Saga Highlights Why We Can’t Trust It](http://thewire.in/64598/dbt-lpg-aadhaar-media/), Reetika Khera)