Assessing Authenticity of Official Statements on Technology Employment
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)'s Digital Identity project, known as Aadhaar, was initiated by the UPA-2 government and is currently being expanded by the present administration. The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act was passed in 2016, and the Supreme Court later upheld its constitutional validity in September 2018, albeit with some provisions being struck down.
One of the contested sections, Section 57, was struck down, meaning that only the government can use Aadhaar for the specific purpose of welfare and subsidies. Private entities are barred from using Aadhaar as a mode of identification. However, the exact number of income tax payers who have linked their Permanent Account Number (PAN) to Aadhaar remains unverified. As of March 2018, more than 16.84 crore PAN numbers have been linked to Aadhaar.
The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) online platform for government procurement was launched in 2017 by the Government of India. The claim that the contribution of the GeM platform to reducing corruption and increasing transparency is unverified. However, the details of the transactions made on the platform are available. As of October, 2018, a cumulative amount of more than Rs 4.6 lakh crore have been transferred to the beneficiaries via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for 431 schemes in the last 4 years. The list of schemes covered under the DBT scheme now includes 464 schemes and services from 57 ministries.
The court has also expressed concerns about the linking of Aadhaar to bank accounts and mobile numbers, stating that it is illegal. Despite this, over Rs 3,65,996 crore have been directly transferred into the bank accounts of beneficiaries for these schemes. The Supreme Court's ruling on this matter is still pending.
In an effort to boost transparency and eliminate corruption, the government has released an infographic highlighting the use of technology in these initiatives. However, the claim that more than 1 crore income tax payers have linked their Aadhaar with PAN is unverified.
It is essential to note that the DBT initiative and the Aadhaar project are ongoing and evolving, with updates and changes being made regularly. As the situation develops, it is crucial to stay informed about the latest news and developments in these critical areas.
