Event Date: May 16, 2012 - 1:00 pm
Location: Social Sciences Building, 120 Universi

USHA RAMANATHAN, Honorary Fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.

Presented by CIPS.
Free. In English. Registration is not required.

For the past two years the Government of India has been pursuing a plan, reliant on sophisticated new technology, to record the unique biometric identity (UID) of all of its 1.2 billion citizens. The UID will be essential for those, especially the poor, seeking access to government services and benefits. Marketed as an exercise to thwart corruption and provide legal identity to the poor and marginalised, the scheme has attracted criticism due to the potential for its misuse, and as a vehicle by which the state can expand its surveillance and control, and its intrusion into the private lives of Indians.    

Dr. Usha Ramanathan is a law and poverty researcher. She is a Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, and has taught at the Indian Law Institute. Based in Delhi, she writes and speaks on a range of human rights issues that include the Bhopal Gas Disaster, mass displacement, the rights of the poor, due process and anti-terrorism, and the environment. She has been actively monitoring the UID project, and has written and debated extensively on the subject.

Audio

[audio:http://web20.uottawa.ca/academic/socialsciences/cepi-cips/Ramanathan_20120516.mp3]