487 - E-governance amidst cyber threats - Cyber media

Globally, government agencies and authorities have gradually understood the significance of IT and its role in reaching out to people in implementing various beneficial schemes and policies today. However, with complex security threats emerging in the cyberworld, the wave of e-governance will not have a smooth sailing ahead in time
Thursday, August 26, 2010

Ilias Chantzos, Symantec Software India's director Symantec Government Relations for EMEA and APJ talks to Pankaj Maru of CyberMedia News about IT security challenges faced by governments globally, measures to enhance IT security and protecting information, India's ambitious UID project and effectiveness of Indian cyber laws. Excerpts:

In your opinion what are the challenges that governments across the world are facing today in terms of IT security?

Governments across the world hold terabytes of information – personal and country-specific confidential information. This information in digital format today is more vulnerable to threats than ever before. With informationization, the extent by which an economy becomes information-based, any loss of sensitive information could cause serious and even irrevocable damage to countries. An act including cyber attacks can destabilize, interfere with or disable online national security assets or entities of a state or government.

Protection against these types of threats must go beyond the usual countermeasures of firewalls, antivirus and intrusion detection or prevention and must include programs that can instantly relay information that an attack is happening, where it is happening, and how it is happening.

In addition, true resiliency against such an attack can only be attained by having backed up and stored information in advance, with an information management program in place that has catalogued, organized, and prioritized it to quickly recover any information that has been lost or exposed. The proper combination of people, processes and technology can ensure that a critical infrastructure provider is protected and can withstand an attack, recover, and continue to operate.

It has been observed that problems faced by governments across the world vary very little across geographies. With the laws governing right to privacy of information becoming more complex, data protection and the prevention of data loss is rapidly gaining significance. These scenarios warrant not just more efficient technology, but also fool proof data protection and privacy laws.

What are the measures that central and state government department in India can take to secure privacy and protection of confidential data?

According to the DSCI-KPMG Data Security Survey 2009, 43 per cent of Indian organizations are concerned about data security risks due to mobile, remote and “always-on” access. Data privacy also emerges as a steadily growing trend – 99 per cent participants from telecom and 96 per cent from financial services attributed it to be ‘Critical’ or ‘Top.' One of the reasons for the growing focus on data privacy could be the increased inflow of critical data and processes to outsourcing service providers.

Legal, contractual and compliance requirements are resulting in clients from various geographies demanding greater assurance on data privacy by the outsourcing service providers. An attempt was made, through a survey, to identify significant threats to data privacy, as perceived by the respondents. The results revealed that scenarios such as emails without encryption (63%) printing of information (60%), use of CDs and USBs (57%), employees retaining critical information (51%) are being given serious thought.

In India, information-led change has affected a great variety of sectors and processes. Information invasions from the outside as well as planned information policies have virtually changed the landscape of the sectors. It is now important to put into place more robust data security and privacy laws and legislations that are uniformly applicable to relevant industries and individuals/groups etc.

Particularly, these laws and regulations need to make sure that they themselves are compliant with other international and country-specific laws and regulations. We strongly believe that there is a need for a unified data protection legislation covering both government and private sector and the government should take into account best practices in recognized frameworks like the OECD Privacy Principles and the APEC Privacy Framework.

The government should also focus on introducing comprehensive protection covering all relevant aspects like notification, collection, use, consent, access, integrity and data security. There is a need to consider socio-technology developments in crafting these laws, for example tracking cookies, rise of social networks, use of mobility devices to store information (photos, videos, personal data), etc.

Besides, the Government should focus on the protection aspect and on the remedy aspect, i.e. what happens after a data breach occurs as it is bound to occur. Overall need for automation and strong governance practices to address data leakage have to be reinforced.

Does the UID project, which is a major project in e-governance domain, excite you?

Increasingly, governments and other public as well as private organizations collect vast amounts of personal information about individuals for a variety of purposes. The law of privacy should regulate the type of information which may be collected and how this information may be used and stored.

In the recent Union budget, the government allotted an expenditure of Rs.19 billion (US$409 million) for the UID project. The centralized nature of data collection inherent in the UID proposal, they fear, heightens the risk of misuse of personal information and therefore potentially violates privacy rights.

Identities are very valuable and the potential to misuse them is very high. It is therefore very important that they are protected and made accessible only to authorized persons. Already with the anonymity of the Internet and the evolving threat landscape, people and organizations are struggling to maintain confidence in the security of their interactions, information and identities online.

At the same time, people’s personal and professional lives have converged and they want to use their various digital devices to access information wherever they are without jeopardizing their privacy. The challenge is giving users appropriate access, while ensuring that confidential data is not at risk.

Do you think the current cyber security law in India is effective for addressing all the issues related to it?

The Symantec Internet Security Threat 2009 report has ranked India 5th in malicious activity, i.e. a climb of six places. India is the highest spam originating country in the world, contributing 4 per cent to the worldwide spam volumes, while the country ranks first in the APJ region. On the basis of web-based attacks, India has gone up from 13th rank in 2008 to 3rd rank in 2009, next to the US and Brazil.

It is evident that cyber attacks are fast becoming the next generation of threats and no single service could work in isolation.

Leaders in the country have expressed the need to make India’s cyber systems as secure and as non-porous as possible. Overall there is a need for a sound cyber law and effective ICT and cyber security policies.

Cybersecurity is larger than putting in place an antivirus solution, encrypting laptops or deploying data loss prevention technology at network gateways. Cybersecurity is now everything. We live in a digital world, and so we need to have comprehensive digital security. More importantly, a sound e-governance policy requires a sound and secure e-governance base as well.

The security and safety of various ICT platforms and projects in India must be considered on a priority basis. This presupposes the adoption and use of security measures more particularly empowering judiciary and law enforcement manpower with the knowledge and use of cyber forensics and digital evidencing.
©CyberMedia News

486 - UID to launch from Andhra Pradesh - UID Card Project

29th August 2010

The government is ready to allot the first batch of unique identification (UID) numbers under a project that aims to give every Indian resident easier access to e-governance and a range of other services. Residents of Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district will be the first to receive UID numbers from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the nodal agency for the Aadhaar project, a UIDAI official said. “We are waiting for the Parliament session to get over as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has to inaugurate the launch,” he said, requesting anonymity. The session is scheduled to end on 27 August. 

Set up in June 2009, UIDAI had promised to issue the first batch of UID numbers—based on residents’ personal and biometric details, such as fingerprints and eye scans—between August and February. Six other Andhra Pradesh districts will be covered in the initial phase. Hyderabad-based V.S. Bhaskar, deputy director general of UIDAI, said 1,500 people from the state have already enrolled under the project. “The target for the state till March 2011 is 3 crore (30 million) numbers,” he said. 

UIDAI aims to issue the numbers to 100 million people in different parts of the country this fiscal year. Users will eventually have to use the UID number to access government services such as the public distribution system for essential food items, as well as welfare programmes such as the rural job guarantee scheme. 

The number will also allow residents who do not have passports, driving licences or other forms of identification—particularly people from rural areas—open bank accounts, apply for loans and access other financial services. 

UID numbers will be sent out as letters to each resident. One part of the letter will carry the resident’s name, address and the 12-digit UID number. The second part will have the resident’s photograph along with personal details such as sex and date of birth, and a linear barcode that contains the UID number. 

R.S. Sharma, director general of UIDAI, said residents can cut out the second part and carry it along with them, precluding the need to remember their UID number. The barcode can also be read by a barcode reader, lessening the chance of errors that may creep in if the number is being entered manually. “We are in no way making it mandatory for people to carry around the letter,” he added. 

“The cut-out portion and the barcode has been conceptualized only to help illiterate people or those who can’t remember the number to use their unique identities effectively.” 

Ernst and Young is an adviser to the project. Sunil Chandiramani, partner and national leader, government services, at the audit and consulting firm, said UIDAI wanted to use technology to ensure that all residents benefit from the Aadhaar project. This, he said, is why the nodal agency decided to send out UID numbers simply inside a letter with a barcode, instead of issuing “UID cards” that could be used like credit cards. 

“Use of cards, with smart chips and other magnetic storage, would have been restrictive in nature and hindered the quick adoption of UID—especially in the far-flung villages of the country,” he said. “Also, if a person lost the card, it would be an issue.” 

The UIDAI is also mulling allowing online verification of UID numbers using the so-called cloud computation technology, as reported by Mint on 24 August. If it decides in favour of this still-evolving technology, the government would just pay usage-based fee for Internet-based storage and processing of Aadhaar-related data, rather than set up its own information technology (IT) infrastructure. Banks, telecom companies and other service providers who want to verify a client’s identity would then be able to simply send their UID number and biometrics for online verification.

485 - With 8 gizmos in a case, Nilekani sets out to give 1.2 bn people an identity - Indian Express

Dhiraj Nayyar, New Delhi:
Posted: Mon Aug 30 2010, 04:42 hrs

Packed into what look like two medium-sized suitcases are eight essentials — an iris scanner, a fingerprint machine, a camera, a laptop, a computer screen linked to the laptop, an Internet data card, a pen drive and a printer.

Armed with kits like these, Nandan Nilekani and his team at the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will kickstart one of the most ambitious exercises in recent times — distribution of unique identification numbers to India’s 1.2 billion people.

And they hope to roll this out as early as the first week of September, in cities, towns and villages of Andhra Pradesh, the state chosen for the launch of this unique exercise.

Unlike in the Census that’s already on, there will be no paper-wielding government employees knocking at doors. Instead, enrolment officials, who are almost certainly not going to be government employees, will set up stations in different parts of Andhra Pradesh and turn to their kits.

484 - Plans to end corruption in NREGS with ‘Aadhaar’ - INFOCHANGE Poverty

To combat corruption, the Indian government has decided to go in for the unique identification or ‘Aadhaar’ format to plug loopholes both at the worksite as well as at the time of disbursement of money

In another step towards ensuring transparency and accountability in implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the Union government has decided to convert all 10 crore beneficiaries of the rural job scheme to the unique identification (UID) format in 18 months. 

An agreement between the rural development ministry and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) was signed just weeks away from the kick-off of the ambitious numbering process for all Indian residents. “We hope to start the rollout in three to four months,” said Urban Development Minister C P Joshi, whose ministry is in charge of the most expensive welfare scheme in India’s history.

The ministry aims to plug most loopholes by using UID verification both at the worksite as well as at the time of disbursement of money. Joshi said use of a biometric database linked with other ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) tools would help check the fudging of NREGA records. Exact implementation, however, would be decided by the state governments, he said, pointing to various examples across the country.

States like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Bihar have already rolled out various fingerprint-based verification systems for implementation of the scheme. For example, Bihar has issued 3 lakh smart cards with the impressions of all 10 fingers and the iris of beneficiaries planted on the cards. The smart card is used to check the identity of the beneficiary.

To prevent the problem of fictitious dams, culverts and roads being constructed by panchayat authorities, Andhra Pradesh has issued handheld devices to work coordinators who have to take a picture of the construction and upload it on to a central database.

The UID programme, or Aadhaar, aims to provide every resident with a unique identification number that can serve as proof of identity for everything from opening a bank account to receiving government subsidy to getting grain and other products from ration shops.

According to the memorandum, MGNREGS workers, all of whom must have an Aadhaar number, will have to verify themselves against the UID data on a location-aware device at the worksite. To prevent money from being misappropriated by local government officials, benefits will be released only upon biometric verification of the recipient. Getting a UID will also give the beneficiary a bank account to receive his dues.

The Aadhaar project is all set to start rolling out in the coming weeks, said UIDAI head Nandan Nilekani. “We have entered into agreements with 10 banks, LIC (the Life Insurance Corporation of India), all the states. All the tests have been done. All the registrars are ready to roll out,” he said.

Nilekani has a target of issuing 10 crore Aadhaar numbers by March 2011. He is expected to add another 60 crore Indians to the list by March 2014. 

Source: DNA, August 22, 2010
             Press Information Bureau, August 20, 2010
              http://business.rediff.com , August 2010

483 - Not all that unique - Hindustan Times

Reetika Khera, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, August 30, 2010


The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)’s ambitious plan of issuing a unique biometric-enabled number, innocuously called ‘aadhaar’, to every Indian resident has finally begun to generate a debate on citizen-State relations,  privacy, financial implications, and operational practicalities.


What the debate has largely missed so far, however, is the credibility of the UIDAI’s claims in the field of social policy, particularly the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and Public Distribution System (PDS). Tall claims (“the project possesses the power to eliminate financial exclusion, enhance accessibility, and uplift living standards for the majority poor”) have been made. Scrutinising the UIDAI’s documents reveals their poor understanding of how PDS and NREGA leakages occur and little evidence of creative thinking on plugging them. Instead, one is treated to rhetorical statements peppered with the ‘Aadhaar-enabled’ buzzword.

In the days of cash payments of wages, it was quite easy to embezzle NREGA funds by inflating attendance records and pocketing the difference. In 2008, the government made it mandatory for all NREGA wages to be paid through banks and post offices. The introduction of payments through accounts has made corruption difficult, but three ways of siphoning off money remain — extortion, collusion and fraud. Extortion means that when ‘inflated’ wages are withdrawn by labourers from their account, the middleman turns extortionist and takes a share. Collusion occurs when the labourer and the middleman agree to share the inflated wages that are credited to the labourer’s account. Fraud means that middlemen open and operate accounts on behalf of labourers and pay them cash. Biometric-enabled UID to authenticate identity can only help to prevent ‘fraud’, but is of little use in preventing collusion or extortion.

Even on the specific issue of eliminating fraud, the UIDAI’s thinking is muddled. “Once each citizen in a job card needs to provide his UID before claiming employment, the potential for ghost or fictitious beneficiaries is eliminated.” Elimination of ghost beneficiaries would be an important contribution, but as the same sentence makes clear, it requires compulsory and universal enrolment. Yet, public statements convey that UID enrolment will be voluntary.

Nilekani speaks of “how having a UID can give automatic benefits” (Indian Express). In practice, there will be automatic exclusion as those who do not enrol will be turned away. We learnt this lesson the hard way in the transition to bank payments. Poorly-equipped and understaffed banks were expected to open millions of NREGA accounts overnight. Labourers began to be denied work — “no account, no work,” they were told. The UIDAI is also poorly informed. “In many areas the wages continue to be paid in the form of cash.” In fact, the transition to bank payments is largely complete (83 per cent NREGA job cardholders have an account). Tamil Nadu is the only ‘area’ where wages continue to be paid in cash (retained for the sake of speed).

Sometimes the UIDAI documents contain plain gibberish. Jumping on the social audits bandwagon, they say: “The village-level social audit committee can be selected after authentication with the UID database. The social audit reports filed by the village-level committees can be authenticated by the biometrics of the committee members and the social audit coordinator.”
Turning to the PDS, the most important contribution of the UID would be to eliminate duplicate cards. But what proportion of cards in circulation are duplicates? The little reliable data on this suggest it is not large: 2 per cent in Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh’s computerisation drive to issue hologram-enabled cards eliminated 8 per cent duplicates.

The UIDAI believes that “a key source of leakage identified in the PDS, is subsidised food drawn from the ration shop in the names of eligible families by someone else”. Again, a quick tutorial on PDS leakages might help. There are two major sources of leakage from the PDS: one, diversion of grain, en route to the village ration shop. Dealers then appear helpless saying that they have been issued less by the authorities. Two, dealers undersell (e.g., only 25kg out of the 35kg entitlement) and yet make people testify on official records that they got their full quota. When villagers are disempowered and forced to buy from the same dealer, they feel resigned to being cheated.

The UIDAI recommends that people be freed from the monopoly of dealers, i.e. if he is corrupt, they can go to another. (Finally a usable idea, but alas, an old one.) Conflating the UID with benefits, the UIDAI goes on to make a bogus claim of “portability of benefits” (at least four times in their paper). Portability of benefits requires grappling with operational issues that Aadhaar cannot solve.

Aadhaar is about “inclusivity, the purpose is a better quality of public service delivery, it’s about giving people, who have been denied identity, a chance” (Nilekani, Economic Times). Yet, the UIDAI states: “The NREGA programme can be used to enrol residents into the UID programme” and that the PDS “will provide the necessary impetus for penetration of UID”. If the idea is to use the existing NREGA and PDS database to enrol people, where does ‘inclusivity’ come in? Perhaps the UIDAI needs the PDS and NREGA databases more than these programmes need the UID.

If the UIDAI is serious, it must think about the difficult questions: what if the grain/wages are snatched away after authentication, or if tele-links or hand-held devices break down? What about the costs involved? Illegal fees are routinely charged for ration and job cards — what prevents this from happening while finger-printing? Most importantly, what will Aadhaar add to what can be achieved by computerisation of operations, a reliable MIS, and simpler ‘technologies’ for transparency (e.g., the information walls in Rajasthan)?

If the rhetoric on inclusivity is only a ‘PR’ exercise, what actually drives the UID project? As former Intelligence Bureau chief A.K. Doval candidly said in Tehelka, “It [UID] was intended to wash out the aliens and unauthorised people. But the focus appears to be shifting. Now, it is being projected as more development-oriented, lest it ruffle any feathers.”

Reetika Khera is a development economist at the Delhi School of Economics The views expressed by the author are personal

 

482 - UID to be 'number for life' for Indians: Nilekani- Times of India

PTI, Aug 28, 2010, 01.38pm IST

MUMBAI: The unique identification number (UID) will be a 'number for life' for millions of Indians who are now excluded from access to public schemes, according to Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) chairman Nandan Nilekani.

"The domestic movement within India is slated to escalate due to development and climate change that would drive migration. Due to lack of identity proof, 100 million people are unable to avail of public schemes. It is here the unique identification number will make a difference as it will be the 'number for life' for them," Nilekani said.

He was speaking at a lecture on 'India: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow' organised here on Friday evening.

"With technological development, as the paper work reduces, the cost of technology also goes down and capability goes up. Once you make everything electronic, the prices drop. It is when more number of people make use of technology," Nilekani said.

The UID would be given to every Indian irrespective of their financial or residential status, he said.

"The main aim of issuing these numbers is to ensure better service delivery to those who have been excluded from public schemes, be it related to finance or food," he said.

UIDAI will roll out a biometric database of beneficiaries, Nilekani said, adding, the data can be used by banks and post offices for generating their own UID numbers.

As banking services cannot reach each of the six lakh villages in India, there will be micro ATMs where people can withdraw or deposit money, he said.


Read more: UID to be 'number for life' for Indians: Nilekani - India - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UID-to-be-number-for-life-for-Indians-Nilekani/articleshow/6451164.cms#ixzz0xzUl6kqo

481 - UID not in public interest, say civil society groups - Money Life Article

August 26, 2010 02:52 PM | 

Moneylife Digital Team

A meeting of civil society groups from across the country trashed the government’s ambitious UID scheme, saying it is deeply undemocratic, expensive and fraught with unforeseen consequences

The government is set to issue the first set of unique identities (UID) to about 100 million people in the current fiscal year as part of its ambitious project to give every Indian citizen access to good governance and provide basic services to the poor. Already, however, some chinks in the armour have begun to appear in this landmark initiative, which was the subject of hot debate at a recent public meeting organised yesterday at the Constitution Club in New Delhi by a coalition of civil society groups under the banner of 'Campaign for No UID'.

The technological, economic, social and political aspects of the National Identification Authority Bill currently before Parliament came under heavy scrutiny at the meeting, which saw participation from groups from Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi. Speakers at the meeting asserted that the government's claims are grossly exaggerated, false and unjustified. One of the claims made by the government is that the project will put a stop to leakages in the public distribution system (PDS). However, it was pointed out that issues such as corruption and non-inclusion of families under BPL (Below the Poverty Line) ensure that PDS does not meet its stated objectives. The issuance of a 12-digit number to the poor will therefore hardly result in them accessing cheap food.

Another doubtful claim by the government is that UID will lead to financial inclusion for beneficiaries of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). But again, this does not make sense because 83% already have bank accounts and systemic thefts remain a deeper concern, which will not be addressed by UID.

In fact, it is very likely that many poor people will actually be excluded from accessing services because of technical problems with the use of biometrics. JT D'Souza, an expert on biometrics, asserted that using biometrics as a core authenticator is deeply flawed as it has never been tested on such a large scale (850 million people) and is easily susceptible to forgery. Research by experts shows that with the technology available today a $10 investment can spoof finger-print and iris scanners with fake fingers and patterned contact lenses.

The meeting also noted that the functioning of the UID has been non-transparent and undemocratic. It was pointed out that despite setting up the UID Authority of India (UIDAI) in June 2009, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is yet to issue a white paper on the scheme and how it is going to go about delivering basic social services to the poor.

Senior Member of Parliament from the Revolutionary Socialist Party of India (RSP) Abani Roy called for the launching of a massive campaign to resist this expensive and dangerous project through which several companies will gain massive contracts from the public exchequer. The budget estimates vary from Rs45,000 crore to Rs1.5 lakh crore. He also noted that the UID is yet to be comprehensively discussed or debated in Parliament.

It is now increasingly apparent that the UID project is a half-baked idea that will drain the coffers of the exchequer without showing much for it. The project aims to cover only 600 million people over the next five years, at an estimated cost of Rs45,000 crore. However, nobody seems to be factoring the likelihood of a further escalation in costs for the project due to inflation and other reasons. This will be a huge burden on the nation - money which should be directed towards more pressing needs like infrastructure development, education etc., will find its way to the pockets of a few companies under contract from the government.

There is also the issue of duplication of identities. If the government's aim is to provide an ID to those who are at the sidelines of society, then it is overlooking the fact that people who already have PAN cards and passports will be issued another ID, making for a large chunk of the target group. As such, this exercise will barely benefit half the target number, as they have alternative IDs.

Most unfortunately, the real objective behind this project is being drowned out in the frenetic attempt to bring out the UIDs. Sadly even the revered technocrat Nandan Nilekani, who has been assigned the project responsibility, seems to be directing his attention more towards putting the mechanism in place for the project and authenticating the technical aspects. In his zealous drive to get the job done, he has perhaps lost touch of whether the project will ultimately create meaningful value for the nation.

The question that begs to be answered is: Is this project genuinely in the national interest or does it serve some underhand purpose of the government?  

480 - Are Unique Identities good for us - Money Life

Mr Vickram Crishna, talks about the unique identification (UID)
projectorganised by Moneylife Foundation on 17 August 2010

Mr Yogesh Upadhyaya and a friend during the tea break

Dr Prakash Hebalkar makes a point

Mr Vickram Crishna addresses a receptive audience

Dr Prakash Hebalkar makes a few suggestions

Mr Hemant Puthli, an IT consultant, makes a point

Sucheta Dalal, Managing Editor, Moneylife,
and Founder-Trustee of Moneylife Foundation,
addresses the audience

Mr Smpreet Singh, an activist, makes a point

Yogesh Sapkale, deputy editor, Moneylife,
talks about his views in regards to the UID project

Mr Vikram Crishna answers a query from the audience

479 - Moneylife Foundation conducts workshop on ‘Aadhaar

August 20, 2010 04:35 PM | 
Moneylife Digital Team

Mumbai, 17th August 2010: "Aadhaar will not be able to effectively address the structural issues that lead to chronic poverty," explained Vickram Crishna, an IITian and Senior Fellow, Privacy International, elaborating on the government's contentious claim that its ambitious unique identification (UID) project will solve the problems of the poor and marginalised sections of the society. Mr Crishna was speaking on the occasion of a workshop conducted by Moneylife Foundation to explore issues revolving around the UID project or 'Aadhaar'.

Some of the key issues debated in the workshop were whether Aadhaar will be effective in stopping leakages in the public distribution system (PDS) as is being touted by the government, whether it will be able to put a stop to illegal immigration and whether the government would be able to ensure protection of the database and prevent it from being misused.

In his presentation, Vickram Crishna said, "India's privacy laws are draconian. There is a potential of misuse of the system. Whether the government can maintain an inviolable and secure database is a key issue. Have any safeguards been put in place to ensure that the processes are secure and transparent?"

However, the central point of debate was whether UID is restricting itself merely to issuing a unique number, not knowing what ultimate use to put it to. "End-user application is the issue here; not merely issuing a unique number," said Mr Crishna. The knowledgeable audience also debated on the efficacy of spending Rs42,000 crore over five years for issuing just a unique identification number (UIN) to half the population of the country. Some people were of the opinion that instead of spending such a huge amount on issuing an ID number, we should check the status of voter cards in the country and that the government should do a cost analysis for the UID project.

Another major claim by the authorities is that the UID project will give a significant boost to the economy through creation of multiple jobs and revenue streams. However Mr Crishna, a graduate of IIT (Delhi) and IIM (Calcutta), highlighted that the system would mostly use existing proprietary technology and will not be able to address systematic issues.

The implementation of technology for the project also emerged as a key cause of disagreement among the participants. Many people felt that it would be difficult to have devices across the country that would identify data based on biometrics, which are supposed to be used for the UIN. While some participants wanted to have an additional ID number, stressing that poor people's existence is basically linked to having some sort of identification; others felt there is no need to go for one more ID, especially if it is going to remain just a number and not a card.

Dr Prakash G Hebalkar, who was instrumental in forming and building up the joint venture of Tata and Unisys as a software and consultancy services activity, said that instead of going for the UID project in one go, we should start it with foreign visitors. After testing the UID with foreigners for about 10 years or so, if the results are encouraging then we should go in for issuing such a number to Indians, he said.
 

478 - T.R Sastry as task manager in ambitious UID Project - Indian news

477 - 'Appoint registrars for UID project' - TOI-Goa

Aug 28, 2010, 05.39am IST

PANAJI: With the unique identification authority of India (UIDAI) setting itself a target of enrolling 10 crore residents in the first phase of issuing unique identity numbers (UIDs) ending March 2011, Goa has been asked to enlist its "registrars" which will provide the data of residents in the state.

Vijay Saxena, joint director of the Department of Planning, Statistics and Evaluation (DPSE) told TOI that "registrars" are various government departments that will help in providing information of residents in the state. DPSE is the nodal department for the UIDAI project in Goa.

The information is of two types. One is the biometric information including all 10 fingerprints and iris of the eye. The second is the demographic information including name, age and address of the resident.

The DPSE has to now identify government departments and appoint them as "registrars" for the project. One of the registrars could be the civil supplies department because it is the custodian of the biggest data base of residents in Goa because it has details of all ration card holders. Since the education department has data on students, it could be another registrar. The transport department issues driving licenses and the social welfare department has details of beneficiaries of various schemes including the Dayanand Social Security scheme. So these departments could also be appointed as registrars, Saxena said.

Once that is done, the UIDAI has empanelled some private agencies which have the technology for collecting the bio-metric and demographic data of residents. But before that, the registrars have to identify "local stations" where the agency will set up its equipment for actual collection of the data. The UIDAI will not thrust any agency upon the state and the state government may select the agency by following codal formalities.

To expedite matters, the Registrar General of India (RGI) has agreed to share with the UIDAI, the data of residents captured by them under the National Population Register (NPR). The NPR created under population census 2011 has photographs of each resident enumerated in various Indian states.

Saxena said the issue of unique identification numbers to residents will greatly reduce identity-related frauds. Also, it will help in verifying the identity of a resident anywhere in the country. The unique identification number will also improve the service delivery system like issue of birth certificates, ration cards, driving license, etc.

Saxena said that a major advantage of the system will be that security of financial helps (schemes) provided to residents of Goa will be secured because inclusive banking is part of the system. Also, beneficiary-related schemes will be monitored very easily. "Above all, it will greatly help the poor and the marginalized sections of society," Saxena said.

Goa has already formed two committees for the project. One is the cabinet committee of UID chaired by chief minister Digambar Kamat and the other is a committee chaired by the chief secretary Sanjay Srivastava to ensure smooth implementation of the project in Goa. Goa has also signed a MoU with the UIDAI. It is presently seized with the task of appointing "registrars" as directed by the UIDAI.


Read more: 'Appoint registrars for UID project' - Goa - City - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Appoint-registrars-for-UID-project/articleshow/6449513.cms#ixzz0xsvD27fy

476 - ‘Mobile Indian must have mobile identity’ - Hindustan Times

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times
Mumbai, August 28, 2010

Identification numbers issued to every Indian under the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will play a crucial role as domestic movement within India is slated to escalate manifold, said UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani. He said this would be because of factors ranging from climate change, population profiles to development parameters.

“Mobility is key to progress today and the mobile Indian must have a mobile identity which can be verified anywhere and everywhere within the country,” he said on Friday while speaking at a lecture series “India Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” organised at the YB Chavan Auditorium to celebrate the 90th birth anniversary of  communist leader YB Chavan.

The UIDAI aims at giving a unique identification number to every Indian, irrespective of his financial, residential status.

Other speakers in the event were historian Ramchandra Guha and journalist Kumar Ketkar. As the UIDAI, or Aadhaar grows, Micro ATMs will be installed as the first service for inclusion of the poor in the banking system and put the unique identification number to practical use, said Nilekani.

“The main aim of issuing these numbers is to ensure better service delivery to those who have been historically excluded in such schemes. This is where utility of technology lies, in a way it is what the political systems like communism had envisaged, to empower and include the poor in the mainstream service delivery, whether it is food or finances,” he said. One of the challenges, however, was to avoid de-duplication for which the systems were being set up, he added, so that one person cannot get two numbers.

Guha narrated tales from cricket history about how one of the first Dalits to have broken the barriers of exclusion was P.R. Balu, a  bowler who was part of the Hindu team in the pentangular series that the British used to organise.

He was felicitated after a tour of England where he claimed 120 wickets at an average of 16.

“The barriers were broken when Balu won a final for the Hindu team against the British team. He was carried off the field on shoulders of higher caste Hindus which would have been unthinkable at the time otherwise,” he said.

Ketkar said that India’s future was now inextricably linked to that of the world, and the sequence of events at a global scale.  “Left is almost an abuse now in the way the word ‘Right’ used to be in the socialist regime of the country. People have had to accept this change that has swept the globe over past two decades,” he said.

475 - Top IT cos in fray for Aadhaar's mega tender -Hindu Business Line

Big deal
About a dozen foreign and Indian players in race for UID's managed services contract
Market watchers say the size of the contract could be Rs 2,000-2,500 crore
The seven-year contract covers development of Central ID Data Repository, and procurement and installation of IT infrastructure among other functions

 the seven-year contract is by far the largest one from UID stable.

Moumita Bakshi Chatterjee

New Delhi, Aug. 27

The UID tender for selection of a Managed Service Provider (MSP) has attracted the best and the brightest of the IT business.

Global companies such as HP and IBM as well as large Indian vendors, including TCS and Wipro, have submitted their initial bids to participate in the mega tender for selection of MSP who would implement the Central ID Data Repository (CIDR).

While market watchers peg the opportunity at Rs 2,000-2,500 crore, some industry experts feel that the exact size of the contract will become more clear at the Request for Proposal stage, when all aspects of the contract are clarified. That said the seven-year contract is by far the largest one from UID stable.

Firms in the race

On Friday, almost a dozen companies submitted their EoIs. Apart from the four vendors, Accenture, Tech Mahindra, Mahindra Satyam, Verizon, Cognizant, HCL Infosystems, HCL Technologies, and Steria are also said to be in the race. Many of these companies would form consortiums with specialised vendors in coming weeks.

According to the terms laid down by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the MSP will be responsible for development and implementation of the CIDR system; procurement and installation of the IT infrastructure; implementation of information security management systems; and operations support and maintenance.

The scope of the work also includes technical helpdesk, support services and database administration.

The UID project, seeks to hand out unique identification numbers to 1.2 billion residents in India over the next few years and CIDR is the nerve centre of this ambitious project – it will implement the core services around the UID, store resident records, issue the UID number, verify, authenticate and amend the resident data.

Norms eased

Recently, the UIDAI had eased the norms for prime bidders under this contract – a move that came as a breather to mid-sized firms, allowing them to position themselves as lead respondents. The original criteria had called for an annual turnover of Rs 6,000 crore over last three financial year for prime respondents, but this was later scaled down to Rs 4,000 crore.

“However, there are still lot of issues that need to be clarified, and some of that will come at the RFP stage. For instance, will the other UID contracts which currently have a duration of two years, come under the MSP's ambit after the stipulated two year period is over, or will they be retained as individual projects,” pointed out a source, who is familiar with the contract. Clarity on issues like this, the source said, would help in estimating the exact scale of the contract.

UID officials could not be reached for comments.

moumita@thehindu.co.in

474 - UIDAI eases turnover norms for key services contract-Business Stadard

Kirtika Suneja / New Delhi August 27, 2010, 1:25 IST

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has reduced the revenue requirement of the managed services provider (MSP) contract by Rs 2,000 crore from the earlier limit of Rs 6,000 crore to enable the participation of mid-sized companies in the project.

The MSP tender, considered as one of the largest information technology (IT) outsourcing contracts floated in India, is estimated to be in excess of Rs 1,000 crore for the 7-10-year lifespan of the project.

Earlier, the authority had said that the lead partner or the company leading the consortium for the MSP contract should have an average annual turnover of Rs 6,000 crore, over a period of last three financial years (2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10). This limit has now been reduced to Rs 4,000 crore.
“The turnover criterion has been revised downwards because the industry requested for it. We are yet to receive the expressions of interest (EoI), but the shortlisting of companies should happen in two weeks’ time,” said a UIDAI official on condition of anonymity.

In its invitation of EoI, UIDAI has also made it clear that primary bidders should have an average annual turnover from systems integration and managed services of Rs 500 crore over last three financial years.

With the turnover limit being reduced, firms other than the top four Indian IT service providers in terms of revenes — TCS, Infosys Technologies, Wipro and HCL Technologies — will now be able to compete for the tender as primary bidders or lead partners.

“We are yet to do the due diligence of how many companies will now be able to participate in the contract but this revision will increase the participation of more players. There is no way that we are shutting the doors to the mid-sized players,” the official added.

Further, the authority has also set the condition that the prime respondent should be registered in India under the Companies Act having its registered office in India.

“It was a national bidding process and not international. Moreover, with this condition, Indian laws will be applicable to the company. It will be under the jurisdiction of Indian laws,” explained the official.

473 - Issues With The UID Project (Aadhaar) - Desicritics.org

August 26, 2010
Ruchi

 2 Meter Iris Recognition


The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) was constituted by the Central Government (via notification) in February 2009 to give each Indian resident a UID number. UID will be a unique 12-digit number, which will store basic demographic and identity information of an individual along with his/her biometrics (10 fingerprints, iris scan and photo). As per the government, UID numbers will enable efficient delivery of government services by plugging leakages, and facilitate inclusive development through improved targeting.
 
However the project was met with widespread concern on grounds of privacy and potential for misuse by elements of the state. Various representations have been made to the Authority through civil society meetings, op-eds and open discussions. In response, the Government has set up a Group of Officers under the Secretary, DoPT to develop a framework for data protection, security and privacy. Simultaneously, the UIDAI has circulated a draft National Identification Authority of India Bill aimed primarily at achieving statutory status while expressly resisting both regulation and accountability (see comments on the draft NIA Bill).

Meanwhile in the UK, the first Bill introduced by the new Conservatives and Liberal Democrat government was the Identity Documents Bill to cancel the similar National ID project. The Coalition Agreement[1] between the two parties stated,

“The parties agree to implement a full programme of measures to reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour Government and roll back state intrusion. This will include the scrapping of ID card scheme, the National Identity register, the next generation of biometric passports and the Contact Point Database“.

The project’s abolition is expected to save the government over £800 M over a decade[2].

The following is an overview of the issues with the UID project, organized around five themes: undemocratic process for project initiation and development; civil liberties; benefits and efficiency; technology; and Costs and Finance

Undemocratic Process and Project

The UID project will directly touch every single citizen and resident of the country; however UIDAI was set-up via a GoI notification as an attached office of the Planning Commission without any discussion or debate in the Parliament or civil society. Further the Chairperson of the Authority, Nandan Nilekani was appointed without a transparent appointment process. Nandan Nilekani also heads the Technology Advisory Group for Unique Projects (TAGUP), which has a broad mandate to develop five projects, Tax Information Network, New Pension Scheme, National Treasury Management Agency, Expenditure Information Network and GST
In the year and a half of its inception, the Authority has signed MoUs with virtually all states and UTs, LIC, Petroleum Ministry and many banks. However while rapidly solidifying project details and approach, the Authority has held limited (and closed) civil society meetings thereby withholding participation and proceedings from the public. Despite repeated demands, there have been no open public meetings to discuss the project or answer questions
In July, the Authority circulated the draft NIA Bill (to achieve statutory status); the window for public feedback was two weeks. Despite widespread feedback and calls for making all feedback public, the Authority has not made feedback available. Further in direct contravention to the process of public feedback, the NIA Bill was listed for introduction in the Lok Sabha 2010 monsoon session
UID represents a shift in government policy from a rights based approach (universal and collective e.g., RTI, NREGA, FRA) to that of targeted and individuated subsidies. For instance, in the ongoing PDS reform debate, there is some talk to dismantle the PDS and provide direct cash subsidy to the beneficiary through UID-linked accounts. This prevailing ideological bent of the government was explicitly stated by the Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee in his Budget 2010-11 speech, “With development and economic reforms, the focus of economic activity has shifted towards the non-governmental actors, bringing into sharper focus the role of Government as an enabler. An enabling Government does not try to deliver directly to the citizens everything that they need[3]”. However not only is there no successful precedent of this approach in India (or elsewhere other than the mixed success of Brazil’s CCT program, Bolsa Familia) but it also runs counter to the idea of a politicized and empowered citizen collective
Civil Liberties

UID number enrollment has been conflated with the mandatory census and NPR essentially making enrollment mandatory
The Authority aims to make the UID number the preferred mode of identification for both users and public/private organizations to drive revenue through its identity authentication service. An incontrovertible unique number for one individual across all of his/her life transactions will enable data consolidation thus creating the risk of profiling
The Draft NIA Bill states that the Authority will maintain details of every request for authentication of identity (32(1)) and that identity information may be disclosed in the interests of national security (33 (b)). The two clauses in conjunction are tantamount to tracking individual activity, especially with the increasing prevalence of UID numbers
UID numbers will likely be used to develop NATGRID, a centralized database advocated by the Home Minister P. Chidambaram, to improve security. NATGRID will interlink 21 categories of databases (railway and air travel, Income Tax, phone calls, bank account details, credit card transactions, visa and immigration records, property records, driving licence) for real-time monitoring of all residents in the country. As per reports, the finance minister, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee opposed the project on grounds of privacy; however Mr. Chidambaram argued “the country cannot pay the price in the name of privacy[4]”.
UID numbers will limit the ability of poor migrants to use informal networks to access services. This is especially crucial where many urban governments want to discourage inward migration, and may use UID numbers to deny benefits to those from out of state or inadequate domicile
The Home Ministry has launched the Automated Finger Print Identification Systems (AFIS) to identify criminals; Rs. 15,000 have been earmarked for every police station in the country to purchase a fingerprint reader[5]
The government is licensing credit information companies (CICs) under the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act 2005 to develop consumers’ credit profiles based on their transaction history from banks, NBFCs, telecoms and insurance companies. CICs will use UID numbers to collect and collate this information. This will inevitably lead to the type of predatory marketing seen in the United States (on the basis of social security numbers) and on the other side facilitate financial exclusion not inclusion of the poor
Benefits and Efficiency

Significant problems with social sector legislation will be left unaddressed. For instance, UID will address only the wage related defalcation (and possibly payments) in NREGA; however incidence and severity of corruption in NREGA is material related. Other problems such as awareness and works planning will remain. In PDS, errors of inclusion and exclusion will remain, as will policy issues of coverage and FPS viability. The aim of financial inclusion will also remain largely unaddressed since the unavailability of credit is an outcome not just of limited bank branches, but also of the credit worthiness of the individual, e.g., banks will not extend loans to buy daily necessities like the kinara store owner.
Benefits of the UID project are contingent on beneficiary verification at the point of service. Therefore delivery of service will mandatorily be dependent on working biometric equipment. This creates two issues:
Every single point of service must be equipped with a biometric reader e.g., NREGA worksites (~6,00,000), PDS FPS (~4,70,000). Simplest readers cost at least Rs. 2000
Damaged biometric readers either due to normal wear and tear or deliberate sabotage will disrupt service delivery. Any contingency measures that bypass biometric authentication will be susceptible to organized defalcation
Corruption is dynamic and a static single-point mechanism is likely to be fallible in the medium to long-term
UID number verifications will be conducted by matching the given UID number to the biometric information of the individual. Individuals will thus be required to give their 12-digit UID number at the point of service, which may be difficult for the illiterate. This is especially relevant because the UID model for authentication envisions not a 1:N matching (locating the presented biometric sample against the entire database) but essentially a 1:1 matching where the beneficiary will be required to present UID number, which will then be matched pulled up for verification against presented biometric evidence (fingerprint).
Technology

Biometric verification of identity is not 100% accurate. With the Authority’s own stated accuracy assumptions, absolute number of errors could be in the range of 1 – 6 crores
Biometric reader technology is unable to distinguish between the upper skin of a finger (which is almost dead material) and artificially created dummy fingers[6] of silicon rubber, acrylic paint, etc. Depending on the quality of the reader, sometimes even basic photocopied fingerprints are successful in triggering a false accept
Fingerprints can be altered through cheap surgery (~Rs. 15,000). In a recent report, a Chinese woman changed her fingerprints[7] to slip through Japan’s airport biometric identification checks
Cost and Finance

The Authority has not made the budget public. Various newspaper reports estimate project cost up to Rs. 150,000 crore. A recent news report on a Planning Commission meeting[8] pegs the budget at Rs.  35,000-40,000 crore over 5 years (covering half the Indian population).  News report on a finance ministry meeting writes that estimates of per person cost of the UID number have jumped from Rs. 31 to Rs. 450-500[9].
It is likely that the bulk or a significant portion of the cost will be allocated to different social sector schemes that may be required to implement the UID project. Given the stagnant social sector allocation and current push and pull on coverage[10], cost, and deficits, there is some concern that the implementation of the UID project will result in a decrease of the real social sector allocation
As per MoUs between the Authority and states, registrars can charge the user a fee for UID enrollment thereby shifting part of the cost of the project to the beneficiary

472 - National Summit on e0Governance Scaling The Next Phase of Inclusive Growth

Organised By:Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham)
Type of Event: Conference
Category:Business ServicesEvent
On:August 27, 2010 - August 27, 2010
Venue:Hotel Le Meridien
City:New Delhi, Delhi [India]

With the commitment of the Government of India to leverage technology and improve service delivery to common man, we expect the growth of governance to reach the next level. The Centre and the State Governments propose to spend USD 10 billion over the next five years with PPP to implement the e-governance plan. The various e-governance projects should be made commercially viable to attract larger Industry participation for further broad basing the services and practices for the benefit of common. We have MMPs such as CSC, NREGA, UIDAI but their success lie in their implementation to the last mile and accountability for the common man.

ASSOCHAM has successfully organized six National Summits on e-Governance with the active participation of the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Government of India, other concerned Ministries, State Governments and the Industry.

Continuing the practice, ASSOCHAM proposes to organize the 7th National Summit on e-Governance on 27th August 2010 at Hotel Le Meridien, New Delhi. We propose the theme for this Summit as "Scaling the Next Level of Inclusive Growth".

471 - How Aadhar Project Of India Is Violating Civil Liberties Of Indians- MY News.India

by Ram K Kaushik     Posted On : 11-May-2010

The Aadhar Project of India has once again tested the lack of data protection and privacy rights in India. Data protection and privacy laws must be enacted by India as soon as possible. India does not have any specific and dedicated data protection and privacy laws in India. On the contrary India is strongly committed to e-surveillance and other forms of privacy violation activities.

Human rights have to be actively protected in Indian cyberspace. Presently India is not paying any attention towards protecting civil liberties of Indians in cyberspace.

For instance, take the example of national intelligence grid (NATGRID) that was literally imposed upon Indian citizens. Thanks to the stiff resistance by experts, it has been temporarily stalled.
                                                                                                                
Similarly, the government of India is also imposing the aadhar project of India upon Indian citizens without any legislative backing and civil liberty safeguards. If aadhar project or UID project is allowed without civil liberty protection, it would be a civil liberty nightmare for Indians. The UIDAI must not proceed further and utilise hard earned public money till a statutory framework is in place.

The ultimate call is for the Parliament of India to take that is shying away from its responsibilities. On the contrary, it is making laws like information technology amendment act 2008 (sole cyber law of India) that empowers the Indian government to snoop and violate privacy of Indians without proper safeguards.

Aadhar is violating the civil liberties of Indians. For detail kindly see:

(a) Aadhar Watch Initiative Of India

(b) Aadhar Project is Unconstitutional

(c) Hit and trial projects in India

(d) UID Watch Initiative of India

(e) Strange things happen in India

(f) Human Rights Protection In India

(g) Natgrid And Privacy Violations

(h) Individuals Who Saved Aadhar Project Of India , etc.

These articles carry all the information that proves that aadhar project is violating the civil liberties of Indians.

470 - PM constitutes council for Identification Authority- Hindustan Times

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday constituted a council under his chairmanship to advice the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and ensure better coordination between ministries, stakeholders and partners. "The council is expected to advice the UIDAI on the programme,methodology and implementation to ensure coordination between ministries, departments, stakeholders and partners," said a release from the Prime Minister's Office.

It will also identify specific milestones for early completion of the project.

Nandan Nilekani, the 54-year-old co-founder of Infosys Technologies, took charge as the chairman of the UIDAI last month and started work on the government's ambitious project to provide a single identity number and card to each of the country's 1.17 billion people.

The main task of the authority would be to create a database that will help in issuing unique identity cards.

Members of the newly appointed council are Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Agriculture, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sharad Pawar, Home Minister P Chidambaram, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Law and Justice Minister M Veerappa Moily, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Minister C P Joshi, Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, Communications and Information Technology Minister A Raja, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani.

The main purpose of this ambitious project would avert the need for multiple proofs of identity for citizens while availing any government service, or for private needs like opening bank accounts or seeking telephone connections.

It is also expected to enhance national security by helping to identify illegal aliens.

Nilekani was personally selected by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to head the project with the rank of a cabinet minister.

469 - Factors That Made E-Governance A Big Failure In India - My News,India

by Ram K Kaushik     Posted On : 22-Jul-2010

E-governance in India has become a source of corruption rather than removing corruption and bringing transparency.

E-governance in India has by and large a flop show. There are many factors that led to the poor performance of the e-governance in India. The major among them are lack of planning, omnipresent corruption in governmental offices, lack of accountability, misleading policies, etc. Further, e-governance in India has never been considered a part of good governance.

E-governance is beyond the scope of e-government. While e-government is defined as a mere delivery of government services and information to the public using electronic means, e-governance allows direct participation of constituents in government activities. E-governance is not just about government web site and e-mail. It is not just about service delivery over the Internet. It is not just about digital access to government information or electronic payments. It will change how citizens relate to governments as much as it changes how citizens relate to each other. It will bring forth new concepts of citizenship, both in terms of needs and responsibilities. E-governance will allow citizens to communicate with government, participate in the governments' policy-making and citizens to communicate each other. The e-governance will truly allow citizens to participate in the government decision-making process, reflect their true needs and welfare by utilizing e-government as a tool.

However, e-governance in India has been a complete failure. There is too much stress upon procurement as opposed to management. India has to accept that computerisation of traditional governmental and public functions are not e-governance. We have to empower the citizens with the power of information and communication technology (ICT).

ICT has become an indispensable part of our daily life. It has the potential to streamline procedures, inculcate discipline among workforce, and bring transparency and accountability and reduction of costs. The benefits are tremendous provided we have the will, insight and knowledge to use it.

E-governance in India is in its infancy stage. The National E-Governance Plan (NEGP) is the umbrella under which all e-governance initiatives are taking place. However, there are very few successful and completed e-governance initiatives like MCA21 in India. Whether it is e-courts, e-readiness, legal enablement of ICT systems, e-gazette, e-commerce etc none are even close to success. So where lies the problem?

Firstly, there seems to be lack of insight among the policy-makers. The ICT polices and strategies of India are not covering the e-governance aspects at the national level. No political party ever considers e-governance as an important part of their political agenda before elections. Even commodities like onion and potatoes find place in national debates but not e-governance.

Secondly, there is too much stress upon procurement as opposed to management. India has to accept that computerization of traditional governmental and public functions is not e-governance. We have to empower the citizens with the power of ICT. We have to make the governmental services user-friendly as well as productive and easy.

Thirdly, there is lack of transparency in governmental dealing and in the absence of the same e-governance is just paperwork. In India, we have the Right to Information Act, 2005 but the same has been a failure in India. The public information officers keep on denying the relevant information on flimsy grounds. In exceptional cases, citizens may get some information but by and large very few people get the information.

Fourthly, accountability among governmental officers is missing. There is no mechanism through which we can punish a wrong doer for his violations and negligence. This results in a casual attitude towards public good and e-governance. If we fix accountability and time-bound progress requirements then a lot of problems can be solved.

Fifthly, public participation in both policy making and governmental decisions is missing. If we get the opinion of those who are somehow surviving at the grassroots level we can solve the majority of our problems. However, the fact is that grassroots level problems are never solved.

E-governance will be successful only if we start to undertake due efforts to implement it in all blocks and districts and spread it to the grass root level. Being the largest democratic country, India must show an example to other in this context. But in last many years we have not seen the efficiency of public servants, who are supposed to be the some of the best brain of India. For attaining developed status our public service system must work in a better way. Citizen must participate in various activities, if we really want to see India as a developed nation. Public service must be strengthened in India in true spirit, if we want to become to become a developed nation in near future.

468 - Nandan Nilekani - Dream Big, Do Bigger - India Today

Nandan Nilekani
Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
Inaugural Session: Dream Big, Do Bigger

Nandan Nilekani is the Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) with the rank of Union Cabinet Minister. UIDAI aims to provide a unique identification number for all residents of India.
 
He was most recently, Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Infosys Technologies Ltd., which he co-founded in 1981 and served as Director upto July '09.He has held various posts at Infosys, including Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, President, and Chief Operating Officer.

A Bachelor in Electrical Engineering from IIT, Bombay, Nilekani co-founded India's National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) as well as the Bangalore chapter of the IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE). He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and the President of NCEAR, the premier, independent, applied economics research Institute in India.

He was named the Corporate Citizen of the Year at the Asia Business Leaders Award (2004) organized by CNBC. In 2005, he received the prestigious Joseph Schumpeter Prize for innovative services in economy, economic sciences and politics.

In 2006, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, named Businessman of the Year by Forbes Asia and listed by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was on the Time list again in 2009. Nilekani is the author of 'Imagining India', which was one of the finalists for the FT-Goldman Sachs Book Award for the year 2009.

467 - A peoples campaign against India’s UID project-South Asias Citizens Web

A CAMPAIGN FOR NO UID

TILL COMPLETE TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND PEOPLE’S PARTICIPATION

21st August 2010

Dear Friend,

Since May 2009, the UID project is under implementation. Even though any legislation sanctioning it is yet to be passed in parliament, the UID authority is functioning. Rs.19,500 million have been allocated to the project. In addition to this allocation, the census expenditure has a budget of Rs. 30,230 million. The UIDAI [Unique Identification Authority of India] plans to use the census data, to issue Aadhar numbers. The total project is estimated to cost Rs. 1500 billion. The budget for the Authority was passed with the GoI annual budget but without discussion on it or setting up of UIDAI.

The UID project envisages recording ten finger prints and iris scan of all people residing in India, allocating a unique number to each individual whose biometric data is captured, and storing it in a database with other basic information such as: name, parent’s name, date of birth, gender, and address. Clearly, the UID project will affect everyone residing in India. To ensure proper implementation it is important to carry out a detailed study of the project’s viability and feasibility. That the project has been launched without such a study is a matter of grave concern.

The authority presents the UID project to the public as a way to prevent leakages in the PDS and MGNREGS. If the project could achieve this, it would be a welcome solution, but even a cursory examination reveals several reasons why this objective seems impossible to achieve. Among these is the fact that many countries, after trying similar projects, have abandoned them because they were found to be incapable of achieving their projected objectives and posed high security risks. For example: in a study that was conducted by the London School of Economics on the UK Government’s National ID card scheme, it was found that it would not achieve the objective of preventing illegal immigration and further that such a central database would itself become a target for terrorists, The new elected UK government scrapped the project in June 2010.

The UID project also raises many questions concerning the abuse of personal data gathered in the process. The collection and logging of data, done in the manner proposed by the UIDAI, is in effect similar to “phone tapping”, a practice which can be abused by those overseeing it. The data collection itself is outsourced to private agencies. The linkages provided by UID to a person’s data that is collected for the UID to other databases, such as bank accounts or mobile phone companies have the potential for serious abuse. Despite these concerns, the UIDAI has already taken initiatives, such as collaborating with many multinational and Indian private companies for gathering data and setting up / maintaining the database.

This meeting is organised to discuss UID’s lack of a feasibility study, huge cost, legality and real danger of abuse. Hence, we invite you to come for a public discussion where people from many diverse groups will express their viewpoints on the subject on:

25th August 2010 from 10.00 am to 6.00 p.m.
at the Constitution Club Auditorium, Rafi Marg, New Delhi.

High-Tea and meeting with MPs: 4 pm to 6 pm.

This will be an interactive meeting in which, we hope you will be able to gain insight into this immense project, its costs and impacts. Please confirm your participation in the workshop at insafdelhi@gmail.com. This would help us make the necessary arrangements for your convenience.

In Solidarity -

Alternative Law Forum, Citizen Action Forum, Delhi Forum, PEACE, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) – Karnataka, Moving Republic, Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF), National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), Slum Janandolana – Karnataka, The Center for Internet and Society (CIS) and many other organisations and concerned individuals

466 - Biometric ID of LPG, kerosene buyers to be linked to UIDAI - Financial Express

Posted 31st July 2010

New Delhi: The government on Friday took an ambitious step towards preventing the rampant diversion of kerosene and LPG to the black market by introducing compulsory biometric identification of the end consumer.

The decision, to be implemented through the Unique identification authority of India (UIDAI), would also bring down the burden on government finances to subsidise cooking fuel as the project would help in delivering subsidised fuel only to the poor.

According to the petroleum ministry’s agreement with UIDAI, signed here on Friday in the presence of the authority’s chairman Nandan Nilekani and petroleum minister Murli Deora, fuel retailers IOC, HPCL and BPCL would try a biometric identification of consumers initially in Hyderabad, Mysore, Tumkur and Pune. Based on the outcome of the pilot studies, a nation-wide rollout would be undertaken in a phased manner, a ministry statement said.

Minister of state for petroleum Jitin Prasad said the project would be rolled out in two months in these cities. Prasad, however, did not risk a guess on when biometric cards would be in use throughout the country for cooking fuel sales.

The move will help in accurately identifying users and beneficiaries of the services rendered by the three oil firms, government officials said. Currently, there are more than 11.5 crore LPG customers in the country and it is expected that by the year 2015, there would be 16 crore LPG customers. The government is now in the process of popularising the use of LPG in rural areas under a scheme named after the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

“This partnership is something we are looking forward to, which will help in de-duplication and authentication,” Nilekani said, adding that the focus would be on poor families and village communities. The agreement was signed by Apurva Chandra, joint secretary in the petroleum ministry and K Ganga, deputy director general of UIDAI.