This is not dissimilar to the “Aadhar” biometric scheme in India, which was widely decried by activists and rights defenders as carrying huge risks for the marginalized26 and the poor27. Aadhar is a unique identification system based on biometric and demographic data that was integrated with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The government mandated that wages under MGNREGA would only be paid to workers whose bank accounts are linked with their Aadhaar numbers. Warnings about mass surveillance28 followed the introduction of Aadhar, but it has not slowed down the government’s policy. The Aadhar-based system facilitates racial profiling by disproportionately impacting communities that struggle with documentation, leading to their exclusion from welfare benefits. DEBTS AND GEOPOLITICAL MANEUVERING Across South Asia, societies are falling into severe states of economic crisis, often combined with major political upheaval. In Pakistan,29 Bangladesh30 and Sri Lanka,31 varying states of economic collapse have led to International Monetary Fund interventions, starting in about 2019. Much has been written about exploitation, traps, and violence of debt deals. However, debt arrangements are not only tools of economic exploitation, they are strategic instruments that allow states to maneuver within the global power dynamics.32 Several countries in the region find themselves in debt arrangements with China. Experts have pointed out that “China has adopted ‘debt trap diplomacy’ as part of an economic expansionist approach to expand its influence around the world in 26 rnagarwala, T. (2024). How Aadhaar is strangling MGNREGA in a Maharashtra district and pushing workers to migrate. Scroll.in. https://scroll.in/article/1062358/how-aadhaar-is-strangling-mgnrega-in-a-maharashtra-district-and-pushing-workers-to-migrate 27 Yadav, A. (2016). Six months after Rajasthan introduced it, only 45% beneficiaries used Aadhaar at ration shops. Scroll.in. https://scroll.in/article/809661/six-months-after-rajasthan-introduced-aadhaar-at-ration-shops-only-45-beneficiaries-accessed-food 28 Basu, S. & Malik, R. (2017). India’s dodgy mass surveillance project should concern us all. Wired. https://www. wired.com/story/india-aadhaar-biometrics-privacy/#:~:text=India%20is%20undertaking%20the%20world’s,project%20 will%20have%20catastrophic%20consequences 29 Ahmed, M. (2024). Pakistan and IMF reach preliminary deal to release $1.1 billion from bailout fund, IMF says. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-imf-preliminary-deal-bailout-fund-2160022481d933190a301582eb19f12a 30 Ruma, P. (2023). IMF board clears first review of Bangladesh’s $4.7 billion bailout. Reuters. https://www.reuters. com/world/asia-pacific/imf-board-clears-first-review-bangladeshs-47-billion-bailout-2023-12-12/ 31 Francis, K. (2023). Sri Lanka will get the second tranche of a much-need bailout package from the IMF. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/sri-lanka-imf-economic-crisis-bailout-tranche-4ef85320ad1b900fb3e4bd21014bd3aa 32 Sial, F., Jafri, J., & Khaliq, A. (2023). Pakistan, China and the structures of debt distress: Resisting Bretton Woods. Development and Change. https://doi.org/10.1111/dech.12798 19