UIDAI mum on #Aadhaar cards for Prime Minister, Sonia #UID #WTFnews

TNN | Mar 8, 2013,

The RTI activist demanded to know if Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, other parliamentarians and Union Cabinet ministers possessed Aadhaar cards, UIDAI failed to provide details.

HYDERABAD: A recent RTI query to theUnique Identification Authority of India(UIDAI) for information on whether India‘s ‘top brass’ possessed Aadhaar cards, has come back without any response. The RTI query was filed by city activist Rakesh Reddy.

While Reddy, under the Act, demanded to know if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, UIDAI chairmanNandan Nilekani, deputy chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia and other parliamentarians and Union cabinet ministers possessed Aadhaar cards, the department concerned failed to provide details. The information was cited as “personal” and, therefore, withheld.

“The excuse is silly. I will go in for an appeal to acquire it,” the activist said adding, “Under section 8 (1) (j), one can exempt giving information if it is personal without any public interest. But in this case this exemption would not apply as I just asked if they had enrolled or not and did not ask for any further personal information“.

Explaining the reason for filing the RTI query, Reddy said, “A Union minister had recently said that Aadhaar cards are only for beneficiaries. It is surprising he feels he is not a beneficiary despite benefitting from the state. If they believe in this initiative, the leaders have to be role models by registering for the Aadhaar card first. This only reflects the hypocrisy of our lawmakers and shows that they have the least regard for this initiative.”

He demanded that the salaries and even the attendance of the parliamentarians be linked to Aadhaar card.