Nandan Nilekani and Congress initiate unique identification card project
On 26th June 2009 times of India carried the headlines “Infy boss to join the government as a cabinet minister.” I am proud of Nandan Nilekani for taking a though call (quitting Infosys) and Congress government 
making him cabinet minister. Such events are very rare in the Indian context as we don’t see many corporate leaders leave their ivory tower and get into a government job to help shape the future of India. In this case the government has taken the lead and have shown their willingness to embrace the professionalism and expertise brought in by the corporate leader thereby creating an opportunity to co-exist and work towards a better tomorrow. Successful execution of this project will mean more and more corporate leader will be able to work closely with the government and act as a change agent.
The UIC project
Unique Identification Card project will ensure that every Indian will have a unique smart card which will act as their identification proof. This is a highly ambitious Rs 150000 Cr project which will include details like Name, sex, address, marital status, photo, identification mark and finger biometrics of every Indian. More details on unique identification project.
The national ID card project (popularly called UID project) is expected to provide an impetus to the domestic demand for IT products and solutions. A billion smart cards for a billion population means a multi-billion dollar business opportunity for domestic IT companies. Some estimates suggest that the project will create at least 100,000 additional jobs in the country in the next three years. The government had earmarked Rs 100 crore in the interim budget to kick start the UID project. The entire ID card project is estimated to be in the range of around Rs 1.5 lakh crore, with the first phase – which will cover ultra urban, urban, and semi-urban populations – offering an Rs 6,500 crore business opportunity.
According to the plan, govt proposes to issue a unique identification number to all citizens by 2011. The Unique Identification Authority of India shall own and operate the unique identification number database and also look after its updation and maintenance on an ongoing basis. In the beginning, the UID number will be assigned based on the National Population Register or electoral rolls. Photographs and biometric data will be added to make the identification foolproof. (Source Indiatimes.com)
The Scheme was introduced in early part of 2003 but the government has been delaying it all this while and i am glad and confident that this time around the project would be complete on time. Can’t wait to get my smart card.
== Update == 27th August 2009
E-birth certificates likely with Nilekani’s help
A birth certificate at the click of a mouse? It’s quite likely. The health ministry has started brainstorming with Nandan Nilekani -
the man tasked with India’s unique identification project – to produce e-health cards and birth certificates for newborns. Source Economic Times
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
This is new idea for newly invention
this is for good creating an identity for the every citizen
i wish very success for this project
it gives security for each and every citizen, and identification
there is no chance to come outsiders with out showing identity
it is necessary for india
it's a smart idea initiated .