253 - How the UID project can be a cause for concern - ibn live

Jaimon Joseph, CNN-IBM
Posted 25th October 2010

New Delhi: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), headed by Nandan Nilekani, is the UPA government's most ambitious project, where one billion Indians are branded with a unique identity number.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh handed over the first of the Aadhaar cards at Tembhli village in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra. This mammoth project aims to provide Indian residents with a unique 12-digit identification number that will serve multiple purposes.

Given the reach and the impact of such an exercise there is much excitement around the Unique Identity (UID) number (also known as Aadhaar) drive, along with some confusion.

However, there remains some concerns of identity theft.
For example, the number is linked to their fingerprints and the patterns in their eyes. Since those markers are unique to each of us, no one will steal their rations and wages again. They will be issued only after verification. But our eye's Iris patterns change, with age, disease or malnourishment. Fake fingerprints can very easily be made. Hence, the unique element of these numbers can be tampered.
Sunil Abraham, Director, Centre for Internet and Society said, “If I leave my fingerprints around, my identity can be stolen and transactions done on my behalf.”
Activists claim that in a few years, banks, insurance companies, cell phone providers and hospitals will demand UID number before doing business with you. They could use that number, to share information about anybody.
Hence, Abraham said, “An insurance company and a hospital can merge databases. If you have AIDS or TB, they can bump up your premium, or refuse you cover.”
Usha Ramanathan, lawyer said, “Say I go to Srinagar six times in a month. That information could be accessed by the government because the airlines asked for my number before booking a ticket. And that could make me a suspect. There's something wrong in being treated as a suspect for no other reason, than state paranoia.”
Interestingly, even though India seems excited about this project, Britain recently stopped attempts at biometric based identification systems, after warnings that such a database could easily be hacked.
 

241 - Orissa to add 12 more specifications to UID

PTI | 08:09 PM,Sep 29,2010
Bhubaneswar, Sept 30 (PTI) Orissa government today decided to include at least a dozen more specifications to the Unique Identity (UID), christened as "Aadhaar", a national project launched to document profile of every individual in the country.

This was decided at a high level meeting attended by chief secretary, director census, Orissa and other officials. While UID would have details of an individual like his or her name, sex and other datas, the state government has decided to include information like card holders ration card number, BPL/APL number, NREGS data, Driving License number, PAN number, photo i-card number, passport number, kissan and credit card number, LPG consumer number, Rastriya Swasthya Vikas Yojana number, pension I-d number and pass book number.

As the Central government is undertaking a big exercise to prepare UID, it would be appropriate to add some more data regarding a person, said chief secretary B K Patnaik adding that six important places in the state were identified to execute the gigantic work. Stating that the work for the bio-metric data collection for preparation of UID would start in December from eight KBK (Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput) districts, he said demographic data capturing work had already been started by identifying as many as 95 lakh families. The people of Orissa could expect getting UID from May/June, 2011, an official said adding a sub-committee had been formed under the chairmanship of additional development commissioner (ADC) where secretaries of housing and urban development, IT, labour and employment and civil supplies and consumer welfare department, were members.The director of census will negotiate between the state government and the Centre.

123 - One-third of India's food reserves left to rot by Rupashree Nanda - IBN Live

One-third of India's food reserves left to rot
Rupashree Nanda , CNN-IBN
Posted on Jul 25, 2010 at 08:06 | Updated Jul 25, 2010 at 08:5

New Delhi: Even as one third of India's food reserves rot in the open, an internal note of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) warns of more waste saying there is a lack of adequate storage space.

86 - Mizos fear the 'Devil', shun census - Source IBN Live

Mizos fear the 'Devil', shun census
Posted on Jun 16, 2010 at 11:20

Aizawl: The fear of the 'Beast' or the Devil in the Christian-dominated state of Mizoram has caused almost 1,000 families to refuse to enroll their names in the National Population Register (NPR) taken up along with the Census 2011 in Aizawl from May 15.

The dread stems from Chapter 13 Verse 17 of the Book of Revelations in the Bible which says "... and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark or the name of the Beast or the number of his name."

The problem has stemmed from the Unique Identification Authority of India stipulating that no one could buy or sell property without the Unique ID card.

According to adherents of the belief, since buying or selling of property made one a follower of the Beast, one having the UID card, which authorised property transactions, automatically made one a follower of the Devil.

Those refusing to be enumerated belong to the Mizoram Presbyterian Church and the Baptist Church of Mizoram.
Champhai District Magistrate Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said when he summoned Lalzawna the leader and high priest of a sect he was told that his religious belief would not permit him to register his name and he was ready to face any punishment.

Serchhip Deputy Commissioner told PTI that adherents of the belief claimed they had the religious freedom to disobey the government and were not afraid of punitive action.
"They are not afraid of being prosecuted for their beliefs as they are more afraid of being identified with the Devil," one enumerator said.

The Presbyterian Church Synod, the highest decision making body of the largest Church in the state on June 13 issued a message to all members asking them to cooperate with census officials as it was the duty of every citizen to do so.
"We (the believers) should not be afraid of the Beast (Devil), rather the Beast should be afraid of us as we believe in God who is more powerful," the message said.

The Church said that UID was important to identity bona fide citizens of the country and also help in identifying illegal immigrants and terrorists.

The Church also condemned people who were issuing booklets about the 'Number of the Beast' to terrify church members.

The message of the Presbyterian Church was read out in all church branches in the state, but there were still some who were skeptical, a church elder said.

Enumerators were instructed by District Magistrates of all the eight districts in the state to identify those refusing to cooperate on religious grounds.

The reports lying with five District Magistrates indicated that there were 939 families who have refused to have their names registered in the NPR, official sources said.

Aizawl district has the largest number of 483 families including 132 from Aizawl city followed by 158 families in Champhai district.

Serchhip district had 135 families and Lawngtlai district 130 families, while there were 33 families in Kolasib district refusing to be enumerated, the sources said.

District Magistrate Bidhuri convened a meeting for people who refused to cooperate with the census officials on June 11 where only two persons, after being given explanations, agreed to cooperate with officials.

The rest refused to budge from their stand even after the authorities told them that they could be fined up to Rs 1,000 and liable for imprisonment of up to three years.

They were also informed that they could be deprived of their right to franchise, ration cards, works under NREGS and other benefits from the government.

"As they have refused to believe our explanations, we may be left with no other option, but to take punitive action against them," one official said.

The fear of the Beast is not new among Mizo Christians as many of the sects and cults have refused to enroll their children in school believing enrollment would make them adherents of the Devil.

Many have refused to have ration cards to avail rice at a cheaper rate on the same grounds even though most of them belonged to poorer sections of the society.