Government of India, India, RTI, social development, Stories
 

Advertisements issued for publicizing that Aadhaar is not mandatory actually promote Aadhaar

3

The UIDAI spent a total of 142 crore till date on publicity to promote Aadhaar enrollments. The UIDAI also spent 7.82 crore rupees following the Supreme Court directions to publicize that obtaining Aadhaar is not mandatory. But the advertisements issued by UIDAI actually promote Aadhaar in the guise of publicizing that obtaining Aadhaar is voluntary.

[orc]

So how much did the UIDAI spend so far on publicity to promote Aadhaar? According to the data provided in response to a RTI application, UIDAI spent a total of 142.14 crore rupees (till November 2015) on publicity of Aadhaar asking people to enroll. So how does this amount compare to the amount spent by UIDAI following the recent Supreme Court directions?

aadhar card not mandatory advertisements promoting it_year wise expenditure

The Supreme Court recently directed the Government (UIDAI) to give wide publicity in the electronic and print media including radio and television networks that it is not mandatory for a citizen to obtain an Aadhaar card.

The Supreme Court Directions

The Supreme Court was dealing with a bunch of petitions filed against the government’s push to make Aadhaar mandatory and its use for various schemes. While the bench referred the issue of ‘Right to Privacy’ being a fundamental right or not to a larger bench, it passed orders making it clear that Aadhaar cannot be made mandatory. The Court said that Aadhaar is not mandatory for citizens and the government should give wide publicity to this extent. It also said that the production of Aadhaar will not be a condition for obtaining any benefits from the Government. Aadhaar will not be used for any purpose other than PDS, LPG etc.

The amount spent on publicity of Aadhaar to promote enrollments

The UIDAI spent 18.6 crore in 2010-11. It spent the highest the following year (34.98 crore). In 2012-13, it spent 29.43 crore and 31.82 crore in 2013-14. In 2014-15, it spent 22.85 crore. In 2015-16, it spent only 4.46 crore till November 2015.

aadhar card not mandatory advertisements promoting it_amount spent in aadhaar publicity

Did the UIDAI show equal interest in publicizing that Aadhaar is voluntary?

Following the SC directions, the UIDAI released a spate of advertisements on print, electronic and outdoor media. As per the response to the RTI application, UIDAI spent a total of 7.82 crore in publicizing that Aadhaar is not mandatory.

aadhar card not mandatory advertisements promoting it_amount spent on publicity for aadhaar not mandatory

This translates to around 5.5% of the amount spent on publicity to promote Aadhaar enrollments. While the amount spent looks high, there is a catch. The advertisements issued for publicizing that Aadhaar is not mandatory actually promote it.

Advertisements issued for publicizing that Aadhaar is not mandatory actually promote it

The advertisements issued by the UIDAI while mentioning that it is not mandatory for a citizen to obtain an Aadhaar Card highlight that it is a lifelong identity and that it is the right of the common man. In other words, the advertisements issued actually promote Aadhaar in the guise of publicizing that it is voluntary.

aadhar card not mandatory advertisements promoting it_featured image

 

Share.

About Author

Rakesh has been working on issues related to Right to Information (RTI) for a decade. He is a Data/Information enthusiast & passionate about Governance/Policy issues.

3 Comments

  1. Hi Rakesh,
    Nobody I talk to has any information about the supreme court orders on this subject. People understand nothing and they simply dont want to. They read newspapapers, watch news and still are so ignorant.
    All kinds of people have started visiting the residents of the citizens and demand aadhar no. for their records.
    Visit any office for your work and they need your aadhaar no.
    Arguing, refusing to submit aadhaar card and quoting supreme court orders has become a regular feature of my day to day life.
    I am very much stressed and have anxiety troubles because of all this.
    I doubt I can carry on like this anymore. I will have to give up and submit aadhaar wherever demanded to make life easy for me and my family even if that is against my wishes and makes me feel insecure.
    I was even forced to submit aadhaar copy of my child to school ‘as it was mandatory and required by the school’.
    Hope something is done about this sooner. Can anybody help?
    Thankyou

  2. It is indeed shocking to see how so many people are falling on this con. They go to any length to believe that it is the “herb for all cures” (using Narendra Modi’s own description of Aadhaar in 2013). When asked about privacy issues, they have the preposterous reasoning – what do you fear if you have nothing to hide?

scroll