“When nuclear technology was discovered the world thought energy security is a thing of the past. But post World War II, one of the scientists wrote a moving essay expressing his dismay at what he was part of. Aadhar is at a similar crossroads,” said Arun Maira, former member of Planning Commission of India, setting the tone for the debate on whether Aadhar is an utopia or dystopia.
Former UPA minister Jairam Ramesh termed Aadhar a good idea that was being implemented scarily, from banks to mobile phones. “Aadhar 1.0 was devised as a technical tool to cut out a lot of fakes and waste from government benefit schemes. But post 2014, the same party that opposed Addhar during UPA became the most vociferous champions of Aadhar and implementing it very scarily, without much debate and consent,” he said.
What should we d? Should we to link our Aadhar with our PAN cards, bank accounts and mobile phones, came a question. Mr. Ramesh advised to obey the law, but continue to oppose and protest against the law. “I vociferously opposed the linking to PAN card in the Rajya Sabha, but I have my PAN card linked,” he said.
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“People describe me as a fearless writer. That used to be in a different India. In today’s India, I don’t think I am fearless any more. Gauri Lankesh paid the price for what she stood for, something that India will not forget easily.”