Deadlines & bottom lines

MILLIONS of harassed citizens would be relieved to learn that the Central government has, as per its undertaking before the Supreme Court, issued a notification extending the deadline for making Aadhaar mandatory for several schemes, services, rights and entitlements by another three months. It must be earnestly hoped that the Modi government would use these three months to review and, where possible, revise its strategies around Aadhaar. It is not difficult to concede that if used judiciously, Aadhaar has the potential to become a significant tool of governance, making the citizen’s interface with the governmental authorities easier and hassle-free. It was conceived originally by the Manmohan Singh government as a delivery tool. The intent was to reduce and cut down wastage and leakages in the various subsidies provided to the poor. The aim was to cut out red-tape and middlemen and to transfer the subsidy money directly into the beneficiary’s bank account. It was a revolutionary proposal. 

However, under the NDA regime the Aadhaar mandate has become enlarged, provoking fears of it becoming a tool of snooping and reprisal. Even those citizens who do not want or get government subsidies are being forced to link their Aadhaar numbers with almost every important personal and professional matter. Doubts have been expressed about this massive intrusion into the citizen’s privacy. The sense of disquiet has given way to definite alarm as citizens are receiving minatory messages, inviting the recipient to link up with Aadhaar or run the risk of getting his bank account frozen and mobile connection deactivated. All these compliances are being demanded and justified in the name of identifying terrorists or rogue elements. 

The Aadhaar scheme is yet to pass the test of constitutionality. The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court is due to take up its scrutiny, including the question of its compatibility with the right to privacy, already declared a fundamental right. The Modi government appears to have overloaded the scheme with maximalist objectives, inviting considerable opposition from the civil society. Aadhaar needs to be re-tweaked back to its original purpose: as a new and efficient tool in our social security architecture.