Petition to Goa CM to withraw Adhar Card need for LPG

NCCF/UIDAI/2014/005                               2^nd March 2014

To,
Hon. Chief Minister of Goa,

Through Mr. Avertano Furtado,

Hon. Minister for Labour & Fisheries and

MLA, Navelim Constituency.

Sub: Request to withdraw the Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG Subsidy (DBTL) Scheme

Dear Sir,

The Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG Subsidy (DBTL) Scheme which is being enforced in a few states including Goa, is a total failure and needs to be immediately withdrawn and scrapped as  many persons who have enrolled by linking their Aadhar number & Bank account to their LPG connection, have not received the subsidy amount in their banks. Now with the Central Government having announced that the scheme will be suspended and the Petroleum Minister, Mr. Veerappa Moili having endorsed this in national Television, the people of Goa are at loss to understand as to how the LPG dealers are charging full rate for the cylinder refills and how the subsidy amount will be reimbursed to them.

In addition there are many of us who have not yet enrolled for the Unique Identification number (UID) or ‘Aadhaar’ issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India for the following reasons:-

1.      The National Identification Authority of India, (NIDAI) Bill 2010”, which was introduced in Parliament was rejected by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance in December 2011, calling it directionless, lacking clarity of purpose and raising serious concerns regarding national security. The Committee rejected not just the Bill, but it also trashed the UID scheme. Implementation of the UID scheme without a law violates the Constitution.

2.      Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Rajeev Shukla has replied in both Houses Parliament, i.e. in Lok Sabha on 8/5/13 and in Rajya Sabha on 23/8/13 that Aadhaar card is not mandatory for availing subsidies including domestic cooking gas and that “if any public sector undertaking is doing it, we will correct it”.

3.      The Aadhaar enrolment form says that Aadhaar is free and voluntary.

4.      Supreme Court Judgment dt. 23/9/2013 in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 494 of 2012 says: - “In the meanwhile, no person should suffer for not getting the Adhaar card in spite of the fact that some authority had issued a circular making it mandatory”. Hence continuation of this system amounts to contempt of Supreme Court Orders.

5.      The personal data like finger prints and iris scan will be owned by a Private entity not by the Government. As per the report of the TAG-UP Committee headed by Nandan Nilekani, government data and databases would be privatised through the creation of NIUs, which will then ‘own’ the data and the government would become a ‘customer’. In this set-up, we are witnessing the emergence of an information infrastructure, which the government helps by financing and facilitating the ‘start-up’ and by the use of coercion to get people on to the database, which it will then hand over to corporate interests when it reaches a ‘steady state’. “Once the rollout is completed,” the Nilekani committee says, “the government’s role shifts to that of a customer.” Those enrolling on the UID database have not been informed that their data is to yield profit for the UIDAI, Rs. 288.15 crore a year and its only investor, the government, does not even own the data. How many in the government are even aware of this investing of ownership in an entity that continues to remain deliberately undefined and opaque?

6.      Right to Privacy is inherent in the right to life guaranteed under our Constitution. When the government proposes to gather personal and biometric data of the people it intrudes into their privacy. Such acts cannot be done without the sanction of law.

7.      Aadhaar card is no longer unique; there are instances when it was duplicated. According to a report in Matrubhoomi, a Kerala-based newspaper, PV Narayanan, a resident of Panatthadi panchayat received two Aadhaar numbers: 548780623023 and 356459270677. There are instances reported in Goa also that 5 fake Aadhar cards were found.

8.      One of the UIDAI's contractors is L1 ID Solutions (L1 for short). The company was formed through the efforts of La Penta, which merged two companies, Viisage and Identix to set up L1. Viisage was under investigation by US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for certain offenses. Is it prudent or even sensible to contract with such a company for biometric services for the entire population of this country? In other words to be identified as an Indian, a foreign, private shady company would have to verify and certify that the biometric images stored in their database matches that of the person being identified.

9.      In any financial system based on authentication there is a concept of a password. In case of a banking system, if password is stolen, calling up the bank and asking it to deactivate current password and sending a new password is practical and workable option. In this Aadhaar card system this basic principle is broken: the password is biometric which cannot be changed. Thus, if biometric is lost (fingerprints can be stolen), that person is doomed, because it is not possible to get new fingerprints and the data will be lost forever to the person who stole the password. With how much care and how much ever security, there is a finite possibility that some people will lose their biometrics in this system and they will be shut down from the system for good.

10.  But in case you still feel it is required, then please give us a choice to submit other I.D. documents like voter’s card, Passport, Driving license, Pan card, residence certificate, ect in lieu of Aadhaar. All these documents are unique i.e. one person can have only one card.  On the other hand, it is clearly mentioned on the Aadhar card that it is only an identity card and not a citizenship proof, whereas some of the above mentioned cards prove your citizenship as well. 

In this time of high inflation where the common men is already reeling under high rise in cost of everything, this extra load of Rs.600/- per cylinder will add to his misery. The majority of poor people are not used to banking system and most don’t even have bank accounts. Even after forcing them to open bank accounts, many people are unable to effectively use it and are finding it extremely difficult to pay Rs.1, 156/- upfront to buy a cylinder refill. Add to it the confusion of whether the subsidy is deposited or not. People all over Goa are losing their patience and have approached us for support in this major issue affecting each and every household in Goa. We have received complaints of people with Aadhaar card as well as people who have not yet enrolled for the Aadhaar card.

If the Mamta Banerji led All India Trinamool Congress Government in Bengal has demanded that the government fully complies with the verdict of the Honourable Supreme Court immediately and withdraws this notification, the Government of Kerala too has objected to this system and recently even the Maharashtra Government has put it on hold, why can’t the Goa Government also join in and scrap it? The Congress Government of Mr. Digambar Kamat was one of the 1^st in India to sign the MOU with UIDAI without giving a thought to its implementation as well as the legal aspect, i.e. whether the Parliament has passed it or not.

Therefore in the best interest of Goans, we request that this scheme (DBTL) be dropped and the earlier system of buying the LPG refills at subsidized rate be followed in Goa.

Awaiting an early action from you, thanking you in anticipation,

For Navelim Civic & Consumer Forum,

 Sd/-

(Secretary)

Vanxim is a biggest religious scandal of Goa

According to the information contained in Joint Development Agreement made and executed at the office of the sub-registrar's office, Panjim on 11th August 2009 is bearing serial number 2066. The two parties who are involved includes as follows:-

First Party - (1) Mr.Mahendra Gaunekar, 44 years of age son of late Purushotam Gaunekar.
 (2) Gaunekar's wife Mrs. Sonali Mahendra Gaunekar, 36 years of age. The address given for them is 36, D-2, Altinho, Panjim. Both these are referred as First Party in the agreement full of legal jargon aimed at taking control of entire Vanxim Island measuring 180 acres of land including paddy fields belonging to Santa Monica Convent and cultivated by Vanxim and Mayem people.

Second Party - Ozone Leisure and Resorts Private Limited, a company incorporated under Companies Act, 1956 and having registration office at 38, Ulsoor Road, Bangalore - 560 042 by its authorized signatory Rajeev Choudhury, 51 years of age authorized by board resolution dated 10th June 2009. These are referred as Second Party.

What is emerging from this that the 119 page detail agreement; the decision to take over Vanxim was taken on 10th June 2009 by the Board of the Corporate. They felt no reason and need to consult the local people staying in Vanxim that moment even to inform if not take their consent. The intention of corporate as reflected is only to somehow to take over Vanxim Island by sale or by lease.

This decision of the corporate is totally dictatorial and anti-democratic. Not even Goa Government or local Panachayat was consulted before taking decision to take over Vanxim. What Ozone corporate did, of course with active support of the Goa Archbishop Felipe Neri Ferrao is that they went about buying MLA, Ministers, Chief Ministers, Sarpanchas etc. And number of them are even available for such shady deal for Indian democracy is designed for mushrooming of Corruption by M.K.Gandhi though his notorious Poona Pact imposed on Dr.Ambedkar on 24th September 1932.

And who said corporate are democratic? East India Company was not democratic. Corporate essentially does not have any seeds of democracy that's the reason as to why India is partitioned into Special Economic Zones lawfully in 2005 and Ozone group is specializing in setting them up even though it is not officially on record in joint development agreement.

Our elected representatives are reduced to be merely agents of Bamon raj and not genuine representative of those who elect them. There are however few ethical representatives who refuse to get cowed down by corporate and Bamon Raj bullying. One of them is Greta Vaz of Sao Mathias Panchayat who recently demonstrated that she is not going to be co-opted by co-corporate nor be transformed into agent of Bamon Raj to allow for invasion of Vanxim.

As per reported board decision there is no room for consulting local people staying in Vanxim before signing of this agreement. Hence this agreement is as fraud as Archbishop's decision to sell Vanxim to Mahendra Gaunekar without taking people of Vanxim into confident. Both these Bamon raj parties Corporate from Karnataka and Archbishop Neri from Goa relied on their abilities to silence and buy mulnivasi people off. The agreement amounts to invasion of Vanxim and calls for freedom struggle like the one against East India Company.

Sale of Vanxim is biggest scandal facing Goa today next only to mining scandal as far as economics is concerned. On mining number of people are speaking out boldly. Here on Vanxim because of the involvement of Archbishop there is reluctance to speak out against all the wrongs involved. This qualifies Vanxim issue to be biggest religious scandal of the Goa today where in Archbishop Ferrao neither has love for his Priests nor for his flock, and racing his way to sell Goa Diocese. Vanxim is a living testimony to this fact. People however will not remain silent for long nor will every one in Goa be brought off and co-opted. Waters of resistance are fast rising and very soon they will have the unexpected and shocking results. Nor pressure and threats to life can stop the rise of mulnivasi power to tear Bamon Raj asunder.

In Vanxim government servant indulging in corrupt practices

Through some reliable sources we got the information that yesterday 27th February 2014 some people in Vanxim were given drinks and money by the corporate wanting to grab Vanxim island to collect signatures saying that they want retaining wall.

By the way some people that have signed earlier that they are opposed to the retaining wall and same given to the Panchayat are also being approach and duped into signing in favor of retaining wall.

Only because of greed of drinks and money inculcated by Bamon Raj that they are signing again that they want retaining wall. This is done through advice of Tulsidas Kunkoikar who is an ex-sarpanch who had earlier manipulated the gram sabha on behalf of Bamon Mahendra Gaunekar, and now member  of Sao Mathias Panchayatin Tiswadi Vanxim stands as ward no.7.

These very people who are given drinks and money are using dirty abusive words against panch member from Vanxim Greta Vaz.

Manoj Parab, a government servant, electricity department, Government of Goa went about everywhere in Vanxim to collect the signatures. Can a government servant collect signatures? Isn't this against the ethics of Goa government - zero tolerance to corruption? Can we call the current ruling government non-corrupt government? Such a person working in corrupt manner must be terminated from his services or BJP government can be directly called corrupt government.

The same Manoj Parab yesterday went to elderly people who were alone at home. Being a holiday their sons, daughter-in-laws etc had gone out of Vanxim and returned only late evening. This same Manoj Parab forcefully took these old people's signatures by not disclosing the purpose for which the signatures are collected or wrong purpose was told. Isn't this called corruption?

It looks as if money, drinks and corruption flows in Vanxim like a polluted Ganga.

Porvorim lathi chage against taxi owners needs Judicial probe

Bharat Mukti Morcha condemns police lathi charge on mulnivasi taxi owners at Porvorim on 24th February 2014 night. Goa government has created the situation of tension so that tourism business gets tilted drastically against mulnivasi taxi owners in Goa. The lathi charge in Porvorim is very shameful act that needs judicial inquiry.

The current tension against taxi owners is continuation of long drawn agenda of Bamon Raj to violently suppress the sustained livelihood options of the mulnivasis. Tourism in Goa is useless if it is going to deprive  taxi owners of their source of earning and people like in Vanxim their land.

What is surprising is that newspaper reported that Ola Cabs has never taken any permission to operate in Goa from government authorities and yet their cars were plying. I it reported that they did not even have license to operate their Panjim office.  It looks that Chief Minister allowed these cars to operate in Goa and even have their office though influence and with kick-backs. This conclusion is arrived at through assessment of his conduct on this issue.

Porvorim lathi charge also exposed the double standards adopted in executing lathi charge. Group of foreigners from Nigeria protesting on Highway were not touched by police in spite of blocking of Highway for long duration. While the mulnivasi people from Goa protesting were mercilessly beaten up and provoked for counter violence that led to the injury of few mulnivasi policemen too. Bharat Mutki Morcha express sympathies with the injured policemen too for they are used by Bamon Raj government.

From this it is very clear that Bamon does show up on the street but puts mulnivasis in uniform (Policemen) against mulnivasis not in uniform (taxi owners) against each other and to kill each other. Salva Judum in Chatisgarh is an excellent example of this.  This is how Bamon raj operates. Police is controlled by a Bamon who is a Chief Minister. He through his agents seemed to have succeeded in triggering the clash amongst the mulnvasis so that Bamon raj becomes strong - divide and rule.Our country of India is not ruled by mulnivasi system but ruled by Bamani system and that's in decision making position and the decisions are taken to finish off mulnivasis of their livelihood through liberal and capitalist means.

Bharat Mutki Morcha understands the game plan of Bamon Raj very well. Every body cannot be fooled all the time. Currently there is intense contest going on between Bamon Raj and mulnivasis. The violent targeting of Taxi owners is part of the agenda of Bamon Raj to take take control of Taxi bussiness under their control in the name of providing hassle-free, reliable and technology-efficient car rental service to Indians.

India's main problem is not inefficient car rental service. Main problem is the country is ruled by minority Bamon's who are foreigners - Eurasians by their DNA. The object of their rule is to weaken the mulnviasis as much as possible and as faster as possible. Lathi Charge on Taxi owners is part of this agenda.

Ola Cabs are able to provide cheaper service because they have collaboration with various international investors like Tiger global. Their entry in Indian market is against the mulnivasi taxi owners many of whom are displaced from their ancestral occupations like agriculture, fishing, toddy tapping etc due to incursion of tourism.

It may be recalled that in July 2012 there was bamani attempt to tag these very taxi owners as gangsters. Bhatat Mukti Morcha had protested that time. That links is available here. The battle continues.

Jai Mulnivasi!

Goa Chief Minister called to resign over Vanxim coporate land grab

Ilha de Vanxim Association calls upon Mr.Manohar Parrikar to step down as Chief Minister. Mr.Parrikar has not ordered the work on retaining wall in Vanxim to stop even after bringing it to his notice on 13th February 2014. A copy of the letter objecting to the retaining wall signed by 56 voter of Vanxim is also given to him.

The important extract of this letter dated 23rd October 2012 addressed to the Sao Mathias Sarpanch says" We strongly object to Retaining Wall, as it is a part of a 109 page Joint Development Agreement between (1) Mahendra Gaunekar (2) Ms Sonali Gaunekar and Ozone Leisure and Resorts Private Limited dated 11/8/2009 and registered at the office of the Sub Registrar, Ilhas, Panjim, Goa. 

     In this Agreement the Retaining Wall along with the Golf Course, Hotel, Spa, Resort, Villa, Casinos, Private marinas etc are mentioned to be constructed at Vanxim. We strongly object to the Retaining Wall, as it is the very first point as part of the infrastructure mentioned as point no.1 on the Joint Development Agreement.

     With deep reading & Understanding the Joint Development Agreement we have fully understood the game plan of Mahendra Gaunekar regarding construction of Retaining wall. 

     We request your kind office, therefore to abolish the plans to construct the said Retaining Wall in Vanxim." 

The retaining wall work has not stopped even after for the simple reason that Chief Minister has not acted on the letter from Ilha de Vanxim Association. Since the Chief Minister does not act in this very serious matter he is called to resign as Chief Minister with immediate effect.  

What is going on in Vanxim currently is land grab and Chief Minister through his inaction is party to the same. Hence he has no legitimacy to rule Goa. 

In addition to Ilha de Vanxim Association elected Panch of Vanxim Greta Vaz too filed objections before Chief Minister on 14th February 2014.

Chief Minister by his inaction has shirked his responsibility to act and highly failed to pass the order work on retaining wall to stop. Such Chief Minister must step down with immediate effect as he is not concerned about public but more concern about ozone corporate and Gaunekar who are all out to destroy the beautiful islands of Goa. 

Sd/- 

Maggie Silveira

President

Ilha de Vanxim Association

Congratulations and Viva Greta! Viva Goa!! Viva Vanxim!!

Greta Vaz

Bharat Mukti Morcha wholeheartedly congratulates Greta Vaz for her steadfast loyalty for people of Vanxim against Ozone co-operate onslaught facilitated by Mahendra Gaunekar and Goa Archbishop Felipe Neri Ferrao. Greta Vaz was elected to the Sao Mathias Panchayat in Tiswadi from Vanxim island with overwhelming majority of votes at the last panchayat elections in May 2012. She along with three other members of Panchayat formed ruling panel in the seven member Panchayat body. She was to be the deputy Sarpanch then but the corporate agents worked hard against her taking this post and some other person was pushed for this post with the informal arrangement that the posts of Sarpanch and deputy Sarpach will be rotated after the gap of one year three months.

During this time number of attempts were made by Mahendra Gaunekar and Ozone group to win her over to the corporate and ditch the villagers. The ruling panel headed by Sarpanch Gurudas Bhomkar was even taken to the Ozone office at Miramar and was asked to put up demands for a compromise. Greta did not agree to move even an inch for a compromise and made it ample clear to the corporate that she cannot be purchased over. This act of Greta frustrated Mahendra Gaunekar and Ozone corporate. Umpteen numbers of calls made and verbal messages were sent to her. She categorically rejected every offer from Ozone. It was becoming terribly frustrating for the Ozone corporate. The corporate had in the meanwhile had offered to pay over 40 lakh rupees for each family with legal stakes. This was in addition to earlier payments in lakhs of rupees accepted by some families of Vanxim.

Greta Vaz had included in her election manifesto the commitment to protect mangroves and water bodies of Vanxim including survey number 8 that has been demarcated as settlement zone in RP 2021.

In the meanwhile one year three months ended and the rotation time approached. Corporate pressures coupled with other factors such as greed for power and money led to refusal of Sarpanch Gurudas Bhomkar to step down and make way for remaining two ruling panel members Greta Vaz and Vaibhavi Sawant to taste power. This generated tensions within the ruling panel. Allegations of corruption began to be leveled against the Sarpanch and public restlessness spread across Malar, Divar and Vanxim. Corporate and bamon raj agents kept toying the idea of breaking the ruling panel and provoked political instability. It is visible from the flow of events that corporate and Mahendra Gaunekar purchased ruling as well as opposition in Malar panchayat leadership successfully.

Vaibhavi Sawant took a pretense that since Sarpanch of her ruling panel is nor resigning and making way to her she would defect and trigger vote of no-confidence against the Sarpanch and herself become Sarpanch with scant respect and adherence to ethics and fair play. Actually she is incapable of planning, and functioned mostly as puppet of behind the scene operators. There were few behind the scene operators who were involved in continues scheming and planning and controlling Vaibhavi Sawant. The defection was achieved successfully by keeping Greta Vaz in dark and Sarpanch Bhokar’s term ended with passing of vote of no-confidence motion some weeks ago. Greta Vaz publicly expressed her disagreements with the way her panel member Vaibhavi Sawant has involved in back stabbing the ruling panel.

At this stage Maggie Silveira intervened and called for the meeting of the ruling panel to sort out the confusion. Vaibhavi Sawant along with Sarpanch and deputy sarpanch agreed to attend meet and sort out the differences. Vaibhavi however changed her mind after consulting opposition panel member and former sarpanch Tulsidas Kundoikar, a man who is seasoned in practice of corruption of public funds and manipulation of Gram Sabha besides successfully carrying on activities that promote bamon raj and corporate interest.  He has over 15 years experience in corruption and public manipulation and thinks himself to be invincible. He was also involved in manipulating public and getting 300 people to Chief Town planner's office in Panjim by paying Rs.1000/- per person with his collaborator Mario Pinto from Divar. Vaibhavi based on input from Tulsidas backed off from attending meeting called by Maggie Silveira and declared her support to opposition panel headed by Kundoikar. She also declared that she will not support Greta Vaz as deputy Sarpanch.

During this time of political uncertainly construction work for retaining wall in Vanxim began. This happened despite the written objections against the same by 56 people of Vanxim on 23^rd October 2012. Investigations by Greta Vaz revealed that the permission to start the work was given by her own panel Sarpanch Gurudas Bhomkar. Greta confronted Bhomkar and heated exchanges sparked off. Bhomkar agreed to have given the permission to start retaining wall over ruling the objections from Vanxim people as well as his own panel member from Vanxim Greta Vaz. This behaviour of Bhomkar reduced his stature as office boy in Ozone office. What a shame! This supplies the evidence that Gurudas Bhomkar too has been the recipient of fiduciary considerations from Mahendra Gaunekar and/or Ozone corporate that specializes in setting up SEZs. 

Greta shot letters to the Executive Engineer, Water resource department and another one to Chief Minister Parrikar objecting to the construction of retaining wall in Vanxim. No other member of Panchayat of Sao Mathias has protested publicly. It can be safely concluded that directly and indirectly they have received favors from the corporate and that’s why the entire Panchayat of Sao Mathias at Malar is collectively engaged in mockery of democracy. Six out of Seven the members of Panchayat have internally sold themselves to the bamon raj and corporate agenda of Ozone. Only one who has not sold herself is Greta Vaz.

So it looks that barring Vanxim member of Panchayat Greta Vaz every member of Sao Mathias Panchayat is on the pay roll of the corporate Ozone.

Greta filed her papers to contest for the post of deputy Sarpanch. Elections were held on 21^st February 2014 and Greta Vaz was defeated. The entire corporate might stood against her. Yet she refused to compromise interest of Vanxim. In Greta’s defeat lies lessons for victory of Vanxim against corporate and Bamon raj bullying. This is the way attempts are made to take away land from mulnivasi people by Bamon Raj.

So far Chief Minister Parrikar has not ordered work to stop on retaining wall in Vanxim so it can be safely guessed that he is also in favor of land grab. In fact he is also active collaborator along with Archbishop Ferrao. Both of them are Eurasian Bamons.

The water resources department has also not stopped the work of retaining wall in Vanxim inspite of 56 people opposing it and elected member of Panchayat too opposing it. The struggle continues.

Jai Mulnivasi!

Maggie Silveira

President

Bharat Mukti Morcha

Goa State