Page 518 - SSB Interview: The Complete Guide, Second Edition
P. 518
Benefits of Aadhaar
One of the biggest benefits of having the number is that it provides a single
view of beneficiary data and information and aids in streamlining policy
decisions for the government. Benefits under various government schemes
can be transferred directly to beneficiaries. It has also been asserted that the
Aadhaar can help curb illegal black money transactions. Easy filing of
Income Tax returns, a quick opening of bank accounts, easy linking of voter
cards, obtaining passports and digital life certificates, efficient disbursement
of Pension and Provident Fund and obtaining LPG and other subsidies are
some of the major advantages of Aadhaar. It helps the government in
eliminating duplicates and fake beneficiaries, reduces the cost and effort
involved in identifying individuals and brings in transparency in the
implementation of its schemes. Extending the scope of Aadhaar to a system
which facilitates automated analysis and planning can potentially lead to far-
reaching benefits.
Criticism of Aadhaar
Critics of the Aadhaar scheme have focused on privacy concerns, security of
the database and on the legality of making Aadhaar mandatory. This legality
is a question today before the Supreme Court considering that making it
mandatory for government benefits and services could deny non-Aadhaar
holders access to them, which they are entitled to get otherwise.
The intention behind the scheme was to ensure that these benefits could be
availed of by labourers and poor people. However, it fails to take some
factors into consideration. Some of these individuals often do not have
clearly defined fingerprints because of excessive manual labour. Weak iris
scans of people with issues like cataract have also posed problems. In many
cases, agencies have refused to register these people for the benefits, which
defeats the very purpose of the Aadhaar scheme.
It has been alleged that the data aggregation is sometimes conducted in a
disorganised manner, resulting in various claims of information breaches.
