Aadhaar card necessary for investment in property

Q: I will be returning to India now and I will apply for the Aadhaar Card as I have to link it with my PAN since I will have to file tax returns. I am worried about the privacy risks involved in getting the Aadhaar Card. Are my fears justified?
Aadhaar Card is necessary for opening bank accounts, entering into financial transactions and making investment in property. Since you are returning to India for good, you have no choice but to obtain the Aadhaar Card. This card is indispensable for living and working in India. Further, you will have to link the Aadhaar Card with your Permanent Account Number and the date for doing so has been extended to June 30, 2018. Several countries have approached the Indian government for seeking guidance and assistance in setting up similar system in their country. According to Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, Aadhaar does not pose any privacy issue because it is just a biometric verification scheme. The World Bank has commended India for having set up the largest biometric id system in the world. Many other countries have ID systems and in advanced countries the same number is used for various purposes, like for driving licences, etc.
Q: There are millions of commercial disputes which are pending in different Courts in India. Is anything being proposed to deal with this problem of pending litigation?
On May 3, an Ordinance was promulgated pertaining to Commercial Courts & the Commercial Division of High Courts. The Ordinance seeks to reduce the pecuniary jurisdiction of commercial Courts by bringing the limit pertaining to commercial disputes down to Rs300,000 from the earlier limit of Rs10 million.
Further, the Ordinance requires parties to mandatorily seek pre-litigation mediation before approaching a commercial Court. At present, there are mediation facilities only for family Court cases and not for commercial Courts. Under the Ordinance, State Governments are permitted to set up commercial Courts at the district level so that the burden on High Courts is reduced.
Q: Exports are languishing in India for various reasons, one of them being inadequate port facilities. I am told that some steps are being taken to boost exports by streamlining formalities. Can you throw some light?
To promote maritime trade, customs clearance facilities are now available round the clock at all major ports in India. All supporting documents for clearance of consignments are now accepted in electronic format, thereby reducing personal interface between exporters and Government agencies. Facilities are also available for e-payment, e-invoice and e-delivery order. Risk management system has been implemented at major seaports and airports which would enable selective scrutiny of consignments. Therefore, more than 80 per cent of consignments are now cleared without any inspection. Phase 1 of the fourth container terminal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port has increased the capacity by 2.4 million containers. Further, Direct Port Entry for exports is now availed of at JNPT by more than three-fourths of exporters.
The writer is a practising lawyer, specialising in tax and exchange management laws of India.