NAPM Workers send postcards protesting Aadhaar; SC Bench asks how Aadhaar “changes anything” in an internetworked world
We don’t want Aadhaar, We want our rights.
Patna, 17th January.
Hundreds of workers who are a part of the National Alliance of People’s Movements sent postcards to the Supreme Court. These postcards, addressed to the Chief Justice tell the Supreme Court that despite its clear orders, Aadhaar is still being made mandatory and people are being deprived of their entitlements. The postcards state that “Despite the repeated orders of the Supreme Court, Aadhaar is being mandatorily linked to our needs (entitlements). We do not want Aadhaar, we want our rights. Aadhaar has become one more way in which the corrupt and private companies take money. To remove corruption we want the government to increase citizens’ participation and its own accountability. We don’t want an I-card number in our pockets, we want reform.”
Sohini from NAPM said that the Supreme Court is currently hearing the Aadhaar matters. The workers and farmers of Bihar want the Court to know what is actually happening in the village and the countryside. In Jharkhand there are people who have died because of Aadhaar, in Bihar members of families that are entitled to rations under the National Food Security Act are being cut off the ration lists because they don’t have Aadhaar, many people have not been denied rations. This goes against the orders of the Supreme Court. NAPM’s State Convener Ashish Ranjan said that it was being advertised that Aadhaar will end corruption but in reality every family has to pay an illegal amount of Rs. 250 – 500 to get Aadhaar. NAPM members have filed an FIR in this regard in Araria.
NAPM Bihar demands that Aadhaar must not be mandatory for those who live on welfare and social entitlements. NAPM demands that programs for citizens’ participation be increased to work towards ending corruption. NAPM demands the passage of an accountability law.
From the Bihar Committee,
Ashish Ranjan, Mahendra Yadav, Sister Dorothy, Kamayani Swami, Shahid Kamaal, Anand Patel, Virendra Kumar Rai.
