‘Aadhaar is a good idea, but implemented scarily’

Jairam Ramesh asks public to obey law but also voice protest

Former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh at the Bangalore Litrature Festival in Bengaluru on Sunday.

Will Aadhaar become a tool to help citizens, or will it ultimately be a mechanism to invade our privacy? Former UPA Minister Jairam Ramesh termed Aadhaar a good idea that was being implemented scarily.

“Aadhaar 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 Aadhaar during UPA has become its most vociferous champion and is implementing it very scarily, without much debate and consent,” said Mr. Ramesh.

He was participating in a panel discussion on ‘Aadhaar-Dystopia or Utopia’ on the closing day of the sixth edition of the Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF) on Sunday.

Arun Maira, former member of Planning Commission of India, set the tone for the debate on Aadhaar and whether it is utopia or dystopia. “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. Aadhaar is at a similar crossroads,” said Mr. Maira.

Citizens’s concern

What should citizens do, asked the audience. Should the card be linked to bank accounts, mobile phones and PAN cards? Mr. Ramesh advised people to obey the law but continue to oppose and protest against it.

“I vociferously opposed the linking Aadhaar to PAN card in the Rajya Sabha, but I have linked my PAN card,” he admitted.