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Can Aadhaar-welfare schemes linking, preventing data aggregation be balanced: SC

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New Delhi, Jan 30 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned if it was possible to strike a balance on linking Aadhaar with the disbursal of benefits under the social welfare schemes and protecting the data on individuals from being aggregated.

If the government says that linking of Aadhaar with social welfare schemes has helped in weeding out ineligible beneficiaries and plugging the pilferage of utgoings, the five judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra wondered if it was “possible for the court to maintain some balance”.

“I am not saying that this (concern raised by the petitioner) is not a serious point of concern,” said Justice Chandrachud, noting schemes like the rural job guarantee scheme are “large social welfare schemes” that involves the identity of the beneficiaries and “how would we discount the concern of the State.”

Having said this, he however asked: “Is it possible for the court to maintain a balance. Some where to draw a point, if government says that linking of Aadhaar with social welfare schemes has helped (in plugging pilferage).”

The constitution bench is hearing challenges to the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar scheme on the touchstone of the fundamental right to privacy on a batch of petitions by former Karnataka High Court Judge K.S. Puttuswamy, Magsaysay awardee Shanta Sinha, feminist researcher Kalyani Sen Menon and others.

The court’s observation came as senior counsel Shyam Divan, appearing for Justice Puttuswamy and others, assailed the way the government was collecting information on individual by mandating linking of Aadhaar with every aspect of life. He described it as “aggregation” of information as some kind of “digital dictatorship”.

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing for another petitioner, said that the government has conducted an audit as to how successful is digital thumb impression reading is, and report reveals that in 49 per cent cases, it has failed. He said that the said report should be placed before the court.

He wondered how the linking of Aadhaar with driving licence and health care could be justified.

Pointing to the magnitude of the control that government gets over an individual through Aadhaar, Divan said that it is violative of the notion of limited governance, constitutionalism and rule of law.

The hearing will continue on Thursday.

–IANS
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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

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