Patna,(BiharTimes): Noted social activist and outgoing member of National Advisory Council (NAC) Aruna Roy on Sunday termed UID cards a tool that would infringe on people’s privacy and could even compromise his or her safety or security.

“Nobody questions what UID is, what it is about. How can we accept anything and everything without questioning it?” she asked.

She said any rule and regulation or amendment to any law should be put in the public domain to solicit people’s views before sending it to drafting committee.

Addressing Pradhan Jawala Prasad Memorial Lecture on The Challenge of Transparency and Accountability in Indian Democracy at A N Sinha Institute in Patna on Sunday she said Right To Information Act has given the people basic and important right for a transparent and accountable democracy.
However, she refused to take credit for its legislation.

Referring to the Union government’s cash transfer scheme and plans to link payment through UID card she said people in Delhi believe these schemes are the panacea for all the problems. But at the grassroots level, people believe they are fallacious.

Roy said when she communicated the views of villagers to people in Delhi, they dubbed her a romantic and an idealist. She said people were pragmatic in their views. Without pragmatism, a perfect democracy remains a distant dream. So, the issue of making the government transparent and accountable is the fundamental one.

On her quitting the NAC, Roy said she did not favour any thought nor did she was against any notion.

Commenting on the killing of five RTI activists in Bihar she said if there is no right to ask questions, it is in no way a real democracy.

Ajit Pradhan welcomed the guests while Preeti Sinha spoke about late Pradhan Jwala Prasad.
Later in the day she called on CM Nitish Kumar at his residence.