[The program had also caused problems for others in line. Kela Devi, who works at a government-run child-care center, had not received her salary for eight months because of authentication problems with her card. Avdesh Yadav, 34, couldn’t access his bank account because his fingerprints didn’t work in the bank’s machine. Madanlal Nanda, 74, broke into tears when he explained that he had not received his pension for two months because his fingerprints, worn with age, wouldn’t register in the machines.]
By
Vidhi Doshi
 |
|
In
New Delhi, people came from across the country to speak at a public hearing
on
March 15 about how Aadhaar authentication problems were preventing
them
from getting food rations. (Vidhi Doshi/The Washington Post)
|
NEW
DELHI — It’s been nearly
three years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his “Digital India”
initiative, pitched as an ambitious program to modernize this country of more
than 1 billion people.
Since then, the government abruptly
invalidated 86 percent of the cash in circulation, a move toward a “cashless
society” that led to widespread panic and a currency crisis. It has launched
dozens of apps to accompany various government programs — an app to report
roadside piles of garbage to authorities, one to keep Indians up to date on
Modi’s speeches and even one to find lost children.
And undergirding the initiative is Aadhaar,
an identification program that aims to collect each Indian citizen’s information,
such as fingerprints and retina scans, in a database linked to every part of
that person’s digital footprint: bank account numbers, cellphone details,
income tax filings, voter IDs, ostensibly allowing the government to curb
identity fraud and welfare corruption.
But since it began, the program has become
increasingly troublesome, presenting privacy issues and preventing thousands of
people from receiving basic entitlements, such as food rations, pensions and
fuel subsidies.
For 10-year-old Nadini Singh, a clerical
error on her ID card meant she could not return to school. She and her father,
Netrapal, whose name is misspelled on her card, traveled an hour to a Delhi
office of the Unique Identification Authority, which oversees Aadhaar, to
correct the mistake this month, waiting for hours alongside a dozen other
schoolchildren whose cards — made when they were toddlers — had similar errors.
“If I don’t get Aadhaar, I won’t go to
school,” said Nadini, perched on a metal chair outside the government office,
half asleep in the afternoon heat. “And if I don’t go to school, I can’t become
a doctor.”
The program had also caused problems for
others in line. Kela Devi, who works at a government-run child-care center, had
not received her salary for eight months because of authentication problems
with her card. Avdesh Yadav, 34, couldn’t access his bank account because his
fingerprints didn’t work in the bank’s machine. Madanlal Nanda, 74, broke into
tears when he explained that he had not received his pension for two months
because his fingerprints, worn with age, wouldn’t register in the machines.
Nadini’s father had been trying to fix the
error on his daughter’s card since January. With the school registration
deadline only two days away, officials at the regional office rolled down the
shutters, closing for the day. The Singhs would have to wait another day.
India’s Supreme Court is hearing cases
challenging the biometric program. Some petitioners argue Aadhaar impinges on
basic constitutional rights. Others say it has led to needy people being
excluded from welfare programs. One case suggests it could have resounding
implications for people of lower castes who could face discrimination if biometrics
are matched with surnames and addresses — often indicators of caste.
Modi’s office and the Unique Identification
Authority did not respond to requests for comment. But the government said in a
Supreme Court hearing this week that Aadhaar is secure and that no one should
be denied entitlements because of the biometric identification program.
Aadhaar was launched in 2009 by former prime
minister Manmohan Singh’s government. It was touted as India’s answer to the
bureaucratic conundrum of managing the country’s welfare allowances. Modi, who
raised serious concerns about the program during his election campaign, has
embraced and extended it since taking office in 2014.
His government argues that Aadhaar is no
longer just about clamping down on welfare corruption; instead, it is the
government’s answer to reducing corruption and finding solutions for tricky
business problems.
In January, the government made Aadhaar
mandatory to receive various benefits, including food rations — effectively
pressuring millions of Indians to sign up for the program. State governments
introduced machines at ration shops to identify people by their fingerprints,
retinas or cellphone numbers, replacing the old handwritten ledgers.
But using the machines can be difficult in
India, where connectivity problems are rampant and digital literacy is limited.
“Every day, I have to turn two or three people away at least,” said one ration
shop owner. “The elderly find it the most difficult.”
Privacy experts and activists, including
Edward Snowden, the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor and
whistleblower, fear the information could be used to snoop on citizens or
misused by private companies that have access to it. Security experts say the
details could be easily leaked or hacked.
“This is an incredible tool for
surveillance,” said Reetika Khera, an economist and social scientist at the
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. “There is little benefit, and it is
devastating for the welfare system.”
Reports in the local news media have pointed
out various flaws in the way data is compiled. Government websites
inadvertently displayed millions of people’s personal details. Former
village-level Aadhaar operators were suspected of accessing the database
illegally and offering hoards of data to buyers, as reported this year in the
Tribune, an Indian English-language newspaper. Parents are sometimes asked to
use their fingerprints in place of their children’s, creating authentication
problems later. In some cases, mistakes by Aadhaar operators have led to dogs,
trees and chairs reportedly being issued Aadhaar cards.
And activists say the core problem of welfare
corruption remains.
Anjali Bhardwaj, of the Right to Food
campaign, cited multiple cases of people being denied rations on the pretext of
authentication failures — while government records showed that the rations had
been taken, pointing to ration theft by shop owners.
But the program has also won international
plaudits. A report by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation praised Aadhaar,
saying it “makes it simpler and more secure for poor people to do business with
banks.” A World Bank report from 2016 said the program potentially saved India
$11 billion every year: Former chief economist Paul Romer said Aadhaar was the
most sophisticated system of its kind and should be adopted in other
countries.
In Delhi, after the government office closed
for the day, Nadini and her father made their way home empty-handed. They’ll be
back.
“We’ve been here for the past two days,”
Netrapal said. “But what can we do? If they don't help us today, we’ll be back
here tomorrow.”
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