THE ART AND CULTURE

1. MARTAND SUN TEMPLE

THE CONTEXT: The Sun Temple Martand in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag saw a flurry of activity on May 7 as over a hundred devotees thronged the premises to observe Shankara Jayanti (the birth anniversary of Adi Shankaracharya). This was celebrated for the first time since the temple was declared a “site of national importance” by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

THE EXPLANATION:

• The temple is said to have been built in the 8th century, but attempts were made to destroy it several times between 1389 and 1413.
• It is believed that Hindu ruler Lalitaditya had built the Martand Surya Temple in honor of the Sun God or Bhaskar in the 8th century AD.
• Lalitaditya was a Surya (Sun) Dynasty Kshatriya. The temple’s style of construction and the expertise displayed in it was unprecedented in world history.
• The Vastu science of architecture has been employed, and the building is designed so that the Sun’s rays fall on the Surya idol throughout the day.
• Though the cities, towns, and ruins of Lalitaditya’s era are not easily located, the remnants of the large Martand temple, which the emperor had built at the pilgrimage site of the same name, are an example of the expertise of the Kashmiri Hindu builders of ancient times.

THE POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

2. PMJJBY, PMSBY & APY COMPLETE SEVEN YEARS OF PROVIDING SOCIAL SECURITY NET

THE CONTEXT: Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMSBY), and Atal Pension Yojana (APY) on Monday complete seven years of providing social security net.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The schemes were launched by Prime Minister on 9th May 2015 in Kolkata, West Bengal. These schemes have been successful in providing affordable insurance and security to people.
• These three social security schemes are dedicated to the welfare of the citizens, recognizing the need for securing human life from unforeseen risks or losses and financial uncertainties.
• In order to ensure that the people from the unorganized section of the country are financially secure, the Government launched two insurance schemes – Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and introduced Atal Pension Yojana to cover the exigencies in the old age.
• While the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana provide access to low-cost life or accidental insurance cover to the people, the Atal Pension Yojana provides an opportunity for saving in the present to get a regular pension in old age.
• As of 27th of last month, the cumulative enrolments under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana have been more than 12.76 crore and an amount of 11 thousand 522 crore has been paid for over 5 lakh 76 thousand claims.
• The cumulative enrolments under the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana have been more than 28.37 crore and an amount of one thousand 930 crore rupees has been paid for over 97 thousand claims. More than 4 crore individuals have subscribed to Atal Pension Yojana.

3. UNION GOVT REVISES ITS OWN STAND ON MINORITY STATUS FOR HINDUS

THE CONTEXT: The Ministry of Minority Affairs has superseded its earlier affidavit and claimed that the Union government has the power to notify minorities, not states, but that wide consultations are needed.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Union government has superseded its own affidavit to the Supreme Court in which it said that states had the ability to take a call on conferring minority status to any religious or linguistic community, including Hindus.
• In a fresh affidavit filed through the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs on Monday, May 9, it has claimed that the Union government has the power to notify minorities.
• However, it adds that a decision in this regard can only be taken by the Union government after “wide consultations with state governments and other stakeholders” to avoid “unintended complications in the future.”
• The government had filed the earlier affidavit after the Supreme Court sought its response in a plea that sought directions for framing of guidelines identifying minorities at the state level. The plea contended that Hindus are in a ‘minority’ in six states and three Union Territories of India but were allegedly not able to avail themselves of the benefits of schemes meant for minorities.
• The Ministry of Minority Affairs had said: “It is submitted that the State governments can also declare a religious or linguistic community as a minority community within the said state.”
• For instance, the Maharashtra government has notified ‘Jews’ as a minority community within the state. Moreover, the Karnataka government has notified Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Tulu, Lamani, Hindi, Konkani and Gujarati languages as minority languages within the state of Karnataka,”.
• Minority status is sought for Hinduism, Bahaism and Judaism in states like Mizoram, Kashmir, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur and Union Territories of Ladakh and Lakshadweep.
• The apex court had earlier allowed a plea seeking transfer of cases from several high courts to it against the Union government’s notification to declare five communities – Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis – as minorities and tagged the matter with the main petition.

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

4. CYCLONE ASANI HITS PARTS OF BENGAL

THE CONTEXT: According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD)Cyclone Asani has intensified into a ‘severe cyclone’.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Severe cyclonic storm Asani is over west-central region and adjoining southwest region of the Bay of Bengal. The department earlier said it was about 590km southwest of Puri and about 510km south-southwest of Gopalpur in Odisha.
• Though it is unlikely to make landfall, the weather agency said it would pass through coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh-Odisha in the next two days.
• The name Cyclone Asani has been given by Sri Lanka. It means ‘wrath’ in Sinhalese.
• Cyclones that Hit India in 2020-21: Tauktae, Yaas, Nisarga, Amphan.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

5. UK INDIA INDUSTRY TASK FORCE

THE CONTEXT: A new UK India Industry Task force, a joint commission to increase cross-industry collaboration and push the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) over the line, was launched on 9^th May.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have created the new task force as part of a memorandum of understanding to provide a “critical forum” for discussion to ensure the FTA works to the benefit of businesses in both countries.
• The joint commission is designed to provide oversight and meet ahead of key milestones to reflect views on trade-offs, breakdown barriers to market access and help feed in on-the-ground business intelligence at a ministerial level in India and the UK.
• “A free trade agreement with the world’s fastest growing economy is now within touching distance, and to clinch that deal a focus on lowering barriers to trade is now essential.
• For example, on renewables, we have an opportunity to export UK’s expertise in clean tech. A deal has the potential to drastically lower tariffs on wind turbines parts that are currently as high as 15 per cent.
• The negotiating teams have since completed the third round of talks in New Delhi, with a focus on reducing the barriers to trade, cutting tariffs, and supporting firms to export.
• According to the CBI, reducing tariffs on green exports such as solar, onshore, and offshore wind, could open up new opportunities for companies in India, with an FTA with India expected to nearly double UK exports to India.
• A trade deal is also expected to boost Britain’s total trade by as much as 28 billion pounds (USD 34 billion) a year by 2035 and increase wages across the UK regions by 3 billion pounds (USD 3.6 billion), according to industry estimates.
• This partnership is an opportunity to address shared concerns, identify common interests and foster greater understanding and to develop capacity to address the issues of economic and global concerns.
• The collaboration between CII and CBI will cover joint efforts in specific areas such as advancing technology and digitalisation, climate change and sustainability, multilateral collaboration, alignment on FTA and education.
• Between them, the two industry organisations say they represent over 300,000 businesses of all sizes across both countries.

6. PROCUREMENT OF WHEAT IS SET TO HIT A 15-YEAR LOW THIS SEASON

THE CONTEXT: From an all-time high last year, procurement of wheat is set to hit a 15-year low this season, falling below existing stocks for the first time.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The 18.5 million tonnes (mt) likely procurement this time — farmers mostly sell from April to mid-May, although government wheat purchases technically extends until June and the marketing season until the following March — will be the lowest since the 11.1 mt bought in 2007-08.
• Moreover, this would be the first time that wheat procured from the new crop (18.5 mt) is less than the public stocks at the start of the marketing season (19 mt). As the table shows, fresh procurement has always exceeded the opening balance stocks. It was so even during the previous two low procurement years of 2006-07 and 2007-08.
• This year would be an exception and in sharp contrast to 2021-22, which had unprecedented levels of both opening stocks (27.3 mt) and procurement (43.3 mt).

WHY HAS IT FALLEN?

There are two main reasons for procurement plunging to a 15-year-low this time.

• The first is export demand.
• In 2021-22, India exported a record 7.8 mt of wheat. Supply disruptions from the Russia-Ukraine war – the two countries account for over 28% of global wheat exports – have led to skyrocketing prices and a further increase in demand for Indian grain.
• Indian wheat getting exported at about $350 or Rs 27,000 per tonne free-on-board (i.e. at the point of shipping), farmers are realising well above the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 20,150/tonne at which government is procuring.
• This is even after deducting various costs – from bagging and loading at the purchase point, to transport and handling at the port. These would add up to Rs 4,500-6,000 per tonne, depending on the distance from the wholesale mandi to the port.

• The second reason is lower production.In mid-February, the Union Agriculture Ministry estimated the size of India’s 2021-22 crop (marketed during 2022-23) at 111.32 mt, surpassing even the previous year’s high of 109.59 mt. But the sudden spike in temperatures from the second half of March — when the crop was in grain-filling stage, with the kernels still accumulating starch, protein and other dry matter — has taken a toll on yields.
• In most wheat-growing areas — barring Madhya Pradesh, where the crop is harvest-ready by mid-March — farmers have reported a 15-20% decline in per-acre yields.
• A smaller crop, in combination with export demand, has resulted in open market prices of wheat crossing the MSP in many parts of India.
• The shorter the distance to the ports, the higher the premium that exporter/traders have paid over the MSP.
• Even in Punjab and Haryana — where the state governments charge up to 6% market levies, compared to 0.5-1.6% in MP, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan — flour millers have paid farmers Rs 50-100 above the MSP of Rs 20,150 per tonne.
• Traders and millers aren’t the only ones stocking up in anticipation of prices going up further. Many farmers, especially the more entrepreneurial/better-off sections among them, are also holding back their crop.
• Such “hoarding” by farmers was seen in the recent past in soyabean and cotton, too, again driven by soaring international prices.

IMPLICATIONS:

• With opening stocks of 19 mt and expected procurement of 18.5 mt, government agencies would have 37.5 mt of wheat available for 2022-23. Not all this, however, can be sold, as a minimum operational stock-cum-strategic reserve has to be maintained.
• The normative buffer or closing stock requirement for March 31 is 7.5 mt. Providing for that will leave 30 mt available for sale from government godowns this fiscal.
• That quantity should suffice for the public distribution system, midday meals and other regular welfare schemes, whose annual wheat requirement is around 26 mt. But the last two years have also witnessed substantial off take under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana scheme (10.3 mt in 2020-21 and 19.9 mt in 2021-22) and open market sales to flour mills (2.5 mt and 7.1 mt, respectively).
• There’s clearly not enough wheat for these, which explains the Centre’s recent decision to slash allocation under the PMGKAY from 10.9 mt to 5.4 mt for April-September 2022. Meeting even this requirement may not be easy, leave alone supplying to millers and other bulk consumers to moderate open market prices during the lean months after October.

THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

7. WHY SOUTH AFRICA’S FIFTH COVID WAVE IS DIFFERENT

THE CONTEXT: South Africa has entered the fifth wave but it’s very different to omicron BA.1

THE EXPLANATION:

• Those who are unvaccinated and whose only protection is from a previous infection of the original omicron variant are susceptible to the BA.4 and BA.5.
• 4 and BA.5 can easily break the immunity that was conferred by the earlier omicron variants such as BA.1 and BA.2.
• There is an evolutionary progression in variants as we go from BA.1 to BA.2 through to BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1 all the way to BA.4 and BA.5. Some people have observed that these sub-variants have become more infectious whilst the disease remains relatively mild.
• Many of the people who get infected by BA.4 and BA.5 remain asymptomatic but when there are symptoms, they are very mild.

THE PRELIMS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

QUESTION FOR 10th MAY 2022

Q. Consider the following statements:

1. Cyclone ‘Asani’ originated in May 2022 in Bay of Bengal.
2. Name of the cyclone was given by Sri Lanka.
3. It made landfall along the coast of Odisha state.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 2 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 3

 ANSWER FOR THE 8 & 9TH MAY

Answer: B

Explanation:

1. Rakhigarhi– Haryana
2. Dholavira – Gujarat
3. Alamgir– Uttar Pradesh

1. Beyond good intentions: Navigating the ethical dilemmas facing the technology industry READ MORE
2. A great truth of living offers a path to a happier life READ MORE

1. A six-point guide for G20 countries to lead in decarbonization READ MORE
2. Rights for ‘Mother Nature’ Only Feeds the Myth of Sustainable Development READ MORE

1. Reprieve for widows: Village bansarchaic widowhood practices forced on women READ MORE
2. Extend health cover to the ‘missing middle’ READ MORE
3. Measuring progress: NFHS data should guide policy READ MORE

1. Centre to SC: Will relook at sedition, you defer hearing READ MORE
2. View: Is the US Supreme Court using ‘federal overreach over rights of states’ to make abortion illegal? READ MORE
3. Unification of MCD for Structural Reforms: Functional domain of MCD must be restored, clear duties assigned READ MORE
4. Denying Parliament info citing ‘national security’ undemocratic. Govt moves need oversight READ MORE

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Cyclone Asani hits parts of Bengal: IMD issues extremely heavy rainfall warning in these states READ MORE
2. Explained: Behind low wheat procurement READ MORE
3. Union Govt Revises Its Own Stand on Minority Status for Hindus READ MORE
4. Why South Africa’s Fifth COVID Wave Is Different READ MORE
5. Intellectual Property: Why is India silent, as a compromise deal on COVID-19 therapies is worked out READ MORE
6. PMJJBY, PMSBY, and APY complete seven years of providing social security net READ MORE
7. Mahinda Rajapaksa steps down as Sri Lankan Prime Minister amid economic crisis READ MORE
8. New UK India Industry Taskforce launched to facilitate free trade deal READ MORE

Main Exam   

GS Paper- 1

1. Reprieve for widows: Village bansarchaic widowhood practices forced on women READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Centre to SC: Will relook at sedition, you defer hearing READ MORE
2. View: Is the US Supreme Court using ‘federal overreach over rights of states’ to make abortion illegal? READ MORE
3. Unification of MCD for Structural Reforms: Functional domain of MCD must be restored, clear duties assigned READ MORE
4. Denying Parliament info citing ‘national security’ undemocratic. Govt moves need oversight READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Extend health cover to the ‘missing middle’ READ MORE
2. Measuring progress: NFHS data should guide policy READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Ukraine conflict won’t make Biden abandon Indo-Pacific strategy READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Powering up after the power crisis shock READ MORE
2. The importance of emigrants READ MORE
3. Tapping India’s wheat export potential READ MORE
4. Price hike, inflation and consumption READ MORE
5. If gig economy is the future, India should first ensure rights of workers READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. A six-point guide for G20 countries to lead in decarbonization READ MORE
2. Rights for ‘Mother Nature’ Only Feeds the Myth of Sustainable Development READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Beyond good intentions: Navigating the ethical dilemmas facing the technology industry READ MORE
2. A great truth of living offers a path to a happier life READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘The weakening of parliamentary oversight over the executive has the potential to strike at the very roots of India’s democratic foundation and tilt it towards authoritarianism’. Discuss the statement.
2. ‘In an era displaying staunch resistance against rigid hierarchies and bureaucracy in the workplace, gig work is viewed as a tool of liberation’. In the light of the statement, discuss why India needs to ensure welfare and rights of gig workers?

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• True peace is not merely the absence of war, it is the presence of justice.
• A lesson is that demand growth projections and supply arrangements need to become central to the regulatory process.
• Skilling of migrant workers has the potential to boost the domestic economy and low-cost interventions such as foreign language training can be of great help for such workers.
• The US emphasis on partnerships rather than unilateralism in dealing with the China challenge means India’s agency in the region can only grow.
• The increasing cost of quality health care combined with greater need and demand for health with increasing incomes, higher life expectancy, and epidemiological transition towards non-communicable diseases have made health coverage imperative.
• The value of parliamentary oversight has to be preserved without unduly interfering and inhibiting the ability of the executive to carry out its functions.
• The weakening of parliamentary oversight over the executive has the potential to strike at the very roots of India’s democratic foundation and tilt it towards authoritarianism.
• The absence of a viable political opposition increases the power of the executive and enlarges the scope for misuse. Essentially, the Constitutional checks and balances become ineffective.
• Weakening India’s parliamentary system, which is the most important part of India’s democratic structure, is a threat that is finding the supportive winds of global geopolitical frictions.
• Concentration of power in the hands of our union executive is an abomination of our Constitutional values.
• In an era displaying staunch resistance against rigid hierarchies and bureaucracy in the workplace, gig work is viewed as a tool of liberation. Now, ensuring the welfare and rights of gig workers is the need of the hour.

50-WORD TALK

• The Taliban’s decision to impose the all-enveloping burqa on Afghan women follows a series of barbaric anti-women measures, including tough restrictions on the right to work and education. Instead of mouthing pieties, the international community should reimpose rigorous financial and political sanctions and force Kabul to change its medieval policies.

Things to Remember:

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.

[WpProQuiz 219]

THE CONTEXT: In April 2022, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) presented a Performance Audit Report on ‘Functioning of Unique Identification Authority of India’. This Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India contains significant observations and recommendations emanating out of the Performance Audit conducted on ‘Functioning of Unique Identification Authority of India’.

This article explains the findings and recommendations by the comptroller and Auditor General of India in its recent report.

KEY POINTS ABOUT THE AUDIT REPORT

• The Performance Audit included an assessment of the Enrollment and Update Ecosystems as well as the Authentication Ecosystems of the UIDAI for the period from 2014-15 to 2018-19.
• Audit scrutinized the processes beginning right from the enrollment up to the delivery of Aadhaar number and subsequent use of the authentication services.
• The systems put in place for maintaining security and confidentiality of data were also subject to audit examination.

About Unique Identification Authority of India

• The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a statutory authority established under the provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (“Aadhaar Act 2016”) on 12 July 2016 by the Government of India, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• Purpose: UIDAI was created to issue Unique Identification numbers (UID), named “Aadhaar”, to all residents of India.
• The UID had to be:
• robust enough to eliminate duplicate and fake identities, and
• verifiable and authenticable in an easy, cost-effective way.
• As of 31 October 2021, the Authority has issued 131.68 crore Aadhaar numbers to the residents of India.
• Under the Aadhaar Act 2016, UIDAI is responsible for Aadhaar enrollment and authentication, including operation and management of all stages of the Aadhaar life cycle, developing the policy, procedure, and system for issuing Aadhaar numbers to individuals, and performing authentication and the security of identity information and authentication records of individuals.

UNDERSTANDING THE KEY FINDINGS OF THE REPORT

NO DOCUMENTS FOR PROOF OF RESIDENCY:

• The Aadhaar Act stipulates that an individual should reside in India for 182 days or more in the twelve months immediately preceding the date of application for being eligible to obtain an Aadhaar.
• In September 2019, this condition was relaxed for non-resident Indians holding valid Indian Passport. However, UIDAI has not prescribed any specific proof/ document or process for confirming whether an applicant has resided in India for the specified period and takes confirmation of the residential status through a casual self-declaration from the applicant.
• There was no system in place to check the affirmations of the applicant. As such, there is no assurance that all the Aadhaar holders in the country are ‘Residents’ as defined in the Aadhaar Act.

DE-DUPLICATION PROBLEM:

• The uniqueness of the identity of the applicant, established through a de-duplication process, is the most important feature of Aadhaar.
• It was seen that UIDAI had to cancel more than 4.75 lakh Aadhaars (November 2019) for being duplicates.
• There were instances of issues of Aadhaars with the same biometric data to different residents indicating flaws in the de-duplication process and issues of Aadhaars on faulty biometrics and documents.
• Though UIDAI has taken action to improve the quality of the biometrics and has also introduced iris-based authentication features for enrollment for Aadhaar, the database continued to have faulty Aadhaars, which were already issued.

ISSUE OF AADHAAR NUMBERS TO MINOR CHILDREN:

• Issue of Aadhaar numbers to minor children below the age of five, based on the biometrics of their parents, without confirming the uniqueness of biometric identity goes against the basic tenet of the Aadhaar Act.
• Apart from being violative of the statutory provisions, the UIDAI has also incurred an avoidable expenditure of ₹310 Crore on the issue of Bal Aadhaars till 31 March 2019.
• The UIDAI needs to review the issue of Aadhaar to minor children below five years and find alternate ways to establish their unique identity, especially since the Supreme Court has stated that no benefit will be denied to any child for want of an Aadhaar document.

DEFICIENT DATA MANAGEMENT:

• All Aadhaar numbers were not paired with the documents relating to the personal information of their holders, and even after nearly ten years, the UIDAI could not identify the exact extent of the mismatch.
• Though with the introduction of online scanning (July 2016), the personal information documents were stored in CIDR, which stands for (Classless Inter-Domain Routing)the existence of unpaired biometric data from an earlier period indicated deficient data management.

NO DATA ARCHIVING POLICY:

• UIDAI maintains one of the largest biometric databases in the world; but does not have a data archiving policy, which is considered to be a vital storage management best practice.

LACK OF MONITORING SYSTEM:

• UIDAI had not effectively monitored funds released to States as Grants-in-Aid towards ICT assistance for creating infrastructure.

ISSUES IN THE GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL SYSTEM:

• The process of capturing grievances/complaints have not been streamlined and does not display a clear picture for analysis.
• The complaints lodged at the RO (Registered Organizations) level did not get the attention of UIDAI HQ, compromising the effectiveness of the grievance redressal mechanism, besides the delays in the settlement of grievances.

INEFFECTIVE DELIVERY SYSTEM:

• UIDAI’s arrangements with the Department of Posts were not adequate to guarantee delivery of Aadhaar letters to the right addressee, as seen from the large number of Aadhaar letters being returned as undelivered.

RECOMMENDATIONS BY COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR GENERAL OF INDIA

PRESCRIBE A PROCEDURE FOR SELF-DECLARATION:

• UIDAI may prescribe a procedure and required documentation other than self-declaration in order to confirm and authenticate the residence status of applicants, in line with the provisions of the Aadhaar Act.

TIGHTEN THE Service Level Agreements (SLA) PARAMETERS OF BIOMETRIC SERVICE PROVIDERS (BSPS):

• UIDAI may tighten the Service Level Agreements (SLA) parameters of Biometric Service Providers (BSPs), devise foolproof mechanisms for capturing unique biometric data, and improve upon their monitoring systems to proactively identify and take action to minimize multiple/ duplicate Aadhaar numbers generated.
• UIDAI may also review a regular updation of technology.
• UIDAI also needs to strengthen the Automated Biometric Identification System so that generation of multiple/duplicate Aadhaars can be curbed at the initial stage itself.

EXPLORE ALTERNATE WAYS TO CAPTURE THE UNIQUENESS OF BIOMETRIC IDENTITY FOR MINORS:

• UIDAI may explore alternate ways to capture the uniqueness of biometric identity for minor children below five years since uniqueness of identity is the most distinctive feature of Aadhaar established through biometrics of the individual.

REVIEW CHARGING OF FEES FOR VOLUNTARY UPDATES:

• UIDAI may review the charging of fees for the voluntary update of residents’ biometrics since they (UIDAI) were not in a position to identify reasons for biometric failures and residents were not at fault for the capture of poor quality of biometrics.

FRAME A SUITABLE DATA ARCHIVAL POLICY:

• UIDAI may frame a suitable data archival policy to mitigate the risk of vulnerability to data protection and reduce the saturation of valuable data space due to redundant and unwanted data by continuously weeding out unwanted data.

LEVYING PENALTIES:

• UIDAI may levy penalties on Biometric Service Providers for deficiencies in their performance in respect of biometric de-duplication and biometric authentication. Agreements in this regard should be modified if required.

OTHERS:

• Reducing dependence on other agencies for support.
• Improvement in the financial management of grants.
• Introducing a single centralized system for grievance redressal.

 THE WAY FORWARD

• UIDAI should immediately take steps as per the recommendation suggested in the CAG report.
• The Public Account Committee should also examine the functioning of the UIDAI in the highlight of the CAG report. Public Account Committee can provide further recommendations for improvement of its working.
• UIDAI should adhere to the principles of the RTI and put the information suo-moto in the public domain. This will generate an element of accountability and improvement for the agency.
• As the Aadhaar ecosystem is being used for multiple purposes. The agencies should scale up and streamline their infrastructural capacity to meet the increasing requirements.

THE CONCLUSION: Aadhaar is a revolutionary tool that promises to transform our country’s governance, and UIDAI has a significant role in it provided that the emerging issues need to be taken care of and confidence is built among citizens. Although UIDAI is playing its crucial role the recent report of CAG and the issues highlighted need to be addressed for an effective delivery system and gaining the trust of citizens.

Questions for Mains:

1. Discuss the issues highlighted in the Performance Audit Report of CAG ‘Functioning of Unique Identification Authority of India’. Suggest effective measures to resolve these issues.
2. Aadhaar is a revolutionary tool that promises to transform our country’s governance and UIDAI has a significant role in it provided the problems in its functioning are addressed. Explain.

ADD TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE

CIDR– CIDR stands for Classless Inter-Domain Routing. It is an IP address assigning method that improves the efficiency of address distribution. It is also known as super netting replaces the older system based on classes A, B, and C networks. By using a single CIDR IP address many unique IP addresses can be designated.