Aadhaar-Voter ID Linking

In News

  • Recently, some reports highlighted the state of coercion emerging in Aadhaar-voter ID linking.

About

  • Not voluntary in action: Despite clarifications from various government authorities that the linking of Aadhaar with the voter identity card is “voluntary”, there have been instances of people being warned by booth-level officers that their voter ID would be canceled if it is not linked to their Aadhaar number.
  • Double standards: 
    • Submission of Aadhaar number in Form 6B is voluntary: No entry in electoral roll shall be deleted on the ground of non-submission of Aadhaar number. Purpose of obtaining Aadhaar number is for authentication of electors’ entries in electoral roll & extending better electoral services.
    • Contentious Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021: It allows for the linking of electoral data with the Aadhaar number and was passed by Parliament in December 2021, amid strong protests by the Opposition. 
      • At the time, the Government had informed Parliament that linking the voter ID with a person’s Aadhaar details would be voluntary.
  • New changes: The Ministry of Law and Justice recently amended Form 6: It introduced Form 6B to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. These forms make it compulsory for those who have Aadhaar to provide their Aadhaar Numbers in order to vote.
  • Efforts by the Election Commission of India: It started a campaign on August 1 for the “voluntary” linking of Aadhaar details with the voter ID. 

Need for Linking

  • To streamline electoral rolls and the process of registration of migrated voters without duplication in the rolls
  • To curb the menace of multiple enrolment of the same person in different places.
  • It will help clean up electoral rolls and facilitate elector registration in the location at which they are “ordinarily resident”.
  • Government is attempting to stop bogus voting.
  • The possibility of electors whose names appear in more than one electoral roll or at times more than once in the same electoral roll can be removed.

Criticisms of the Move

  • The move has drawn flak from various sections of society citing violations to an individual’s right to privacy
  • Many have also flagged concerns that the linkage would help in creating voter profiles which may be used to influence the voting process.
  • Bill violates the Supreme Court judgement on Justice K S Puttaswamy case.
  • The linkage would open the ecosystem to a possibility of a data breach by any agency or non-state actors.
  • It will infringe on the fundamental rights of citizens.
  • It is beyond the legislative competence of the Aadhaar Act to be linked with the electoral laws.
  • Aadhaar is meant for the residents of India and all residents are not Indians. By linking the Aadhaar with the electoral process, we are potentially giving voting rights to non-citizens.

Way Ahead

  • The Election Commission should list the safeguards built into the electoral roll data platform for “protecting the privacy of individuals”.

Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)

  • The UIDAI is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (“Aadhaar Act 2016”) on 12 July 2016 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). 
  • The Aadhaar Act 2016 has been amended by the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Act, 2019 (14 of 2019) w.e.f. 25.07.2019.
  • UIDAI was created to issue Unique Identification numbers (UID), named as “Aadhaar”, to all residents of India. The UID had to be –
    • robust enough to eliminate duplicate and fake identities, and 
    • verifiable and authenticable in an easy, cost-effective way. 
  • As on 31st October 2021, the Authority has issued 131.68 crore Aadhaar numbers to the residents of India.
  • Under the Aadhaar Act 2016, UIDAI is responsible for Aadhaar enrolment and authentication, including operation and management of all stages of Aadhaar life cycle, developing the policy, procedure, and system for issuing Aadhaar numbers to individuals and perform authentication and the security of identity information and authentication records of individuals.

Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India and others

  • In the landmark 2017 Right to Privacy judgement, the Supreme Court had held that the decision by a pregnant person on whether to continue a pregnancy or not is part of such a person’s right to privacy as well and, therefore, the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Source: TH

 
Previous article Lord Curzon
Next article Tasmanian Tiger

Other News of the Day

In News  Mandala patterns have been adapted by artists the world over, each of whom have added their own interpretation and painted it as their own. About Mandala  Literally meaning “circle” or “centre” in Sanskrit. It is defined by a geometric configuration that usually incorporates the circular shape in some form.  It can also be...
Read More

In News India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier is all set to be part of the naval fleet. It will be part of the naval fleet as INS Vikrant, taking on the name, the crest and pennant number (R11) of India’s first aircraft carrier. About  Development The project got under way in 2007 and the keel...
Read More

In Context  A recent study found that rainwater from many places across the globe is contaminated with “per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances,” (PFAs). What are PFAs? They are called “forever chemicals” because of their tendency to stick around in the atmosphere, rainwater and soil for long periods of time. They are man-made chemicals used to make...
Read More

In News Recently, Non-Fungible Tokens have also taken a hit as a result of the crypto fallout. What is a Non-Fungible Token (NFT)? It is a unit of data that is stored on a digital ledger (block chain) and can be sold and traded. NFT data units may be associated with digital files such as photos, videos, and...
Read More

In News Recently, a new study in India found that warning labels on food packets are most effective in helping consumers identify foods high in sugar, saturated fat and sodium as compared to other labelling formats. About the Study Background:  The study comes at a time when the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India...
Read More

In News Recently, Dr N Kalaiselvi was appointed as the first woman director general of India’s largest research and development organisation Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).  Data on Women in R&D  Increasing Trend The participation of women in science research has been generally increasing over the past two decades in the country. 28%...
Read More

Context Recently, the Union Home Minister inaugurated the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) at the National Security Strategies Conference. More about the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) About: Conceptualized and managed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) at the Central Fingerprint Bureau (CFPB) in New Delhi.  The National Automated Fingerprints Identification System...
Read More

In Context Recently cloudbursts and flash floods were seen in different parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. More about the news Isolated areas in these two states have reported heavy rainfall during this time.  The rainfall triggered landslides and flash floods that have disrupted rail and road traffic and resulted in house and wall collapses....
Read More

Daily Current Affairs - January 25, 2022

In Context  Recently, the Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre on a plea seeking the establishment of 'Indian Environment Service'. About  The creation of India Environment Service (IES) was recommended by a committee headed by former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian in 2014. Currently, matters of environmental regulation rest on...
Read More

In Context India is likely to achieve electronics production of $300 billion by 2026 according to a vision document released by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY). About The projection is lower than the target of $400 billion by 2025 set as per the National Policy on Electronics (NPE)...
Read More

In News Recently, the central government wrote to Jharkhand asking it to ensure strict action for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) irregularities. Recent Issues Workers: According to the findings, more than 1.59 lakh workers were listed in the records but around 75 percent of them were missing...
Read More

In News The environment ministry issued an office memorandum to all State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs), announcing a star-rating system that would rank SEIAAs based on how long they took to grant environmental clearance (EC) for projects. About Approval by SEIAA: All proposed infrastructure projects above a certain size...
Read More

In News India and Israel launched a commemorative logo to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. About The logo: features the Star of David and the Ashoka Chakra- the two symbols that adorn the national flags of both countries- and forms the...
Read More

In News The much-touted One District One Product (ODOP) scheme launched by the state government to encourage setting up of processing units for local agrarian produce has failed to make much headway. About the scheme Philosophy behind ODOP: To select a brand and promote one product from each district of...
Read More

In News  Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted and conferred digital certificates to Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) awardees for 2021-22. Digital certificates conferred on PMRBP awardees for the years 2022 and 2021 using Blockchain Technology.  This technology is being used for the first time for giving certificates to...
Read More

In News  Recently, Border Roads Organisation (BRO)  conducted the final blast for the 980-metre long Sela Tunnel (Tunnel 1)under Project Vartak. About  The foundation stone of the Sela Tunnel Project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019.   It is located in the West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh. ...
Read More

In Context  The Trade Defence Wing (TDW) operations under the Department of Commerce (DOC) has brought relief to the Indian exporters. About Trade Defence Wing (TDW) It was established in the year 2016. It has been the nodal point for extending support and defending the interests of Indian exporters in...
Read More