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What the UID conceals
R. Ramakumar
The UID project has both ‘security’ and ‘developmental’ dimensions. The former leads to an invasive state; the latter leaves us with a retreating state.
Is identity the “missing link” in India’s efforts to rise as an “inclusive” economic superpower? Can an identity-linked and technology-based solution change the face of governance in India? Given the euphoria around the Unique Identification (UID) project, one is tempted to believe so. However, a careful look at the project would show that the euphoria is just hyperbole; only the politically naïve can afford to ignore the far-reaching implications of this Orwellian project.
One can summarise the criticisms of the UID project under four heads. First, the project would necessarily entail the violation of privacy and civil liberties of people. Second, it remains unclear whether biometric technology — the cornerstone of the project – is capable of the gigantic task of de-duplication. The Unique Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI) “Biometrics Standards Committee” has noted that retaining biometric efficiency for a database of more than one billion persons “has not been adequately analysed” and the problem of fingerprint quality in India “has not been studied in depth”. Third, there has been no cost-benefit analysis or feasibility report for the project till now. Finally, the purported benefits of the project in the social sector, such as in the Public Distribution System (PDS), are largely illusive. The problem of duplicate ration cards is often hugely exaggerated. Even so, some States have largely eliminated duplicate ration cards using “lower” technologies like hologram-enabled ration cards.
In this larger context, the UID project has two distinct political dimensions. The first dimension is that the project is fundamentally linked to “national security” concerns rather than “developmental” concerns. In fact, the marketing team of the UIDAI has always been on an overdrive to hush up the security angle, and play up the developmental angle, to render it more appealing.
The first phase of today’s UID project was initiated in 1999 by the NDA government in the wake of the Kargil War. Following the reports of the “Kargil Review Committee” in 2000, and a Group of Ministers in 2001, the NDA government decided to compulsorily register all citizens into a “National Population Register” (NPR) and issue a Multi-purpose National Identity Card (MNIC) to each citizen. To ease this process, clauses related to individual privacy in the Citizenship Act of 1955 were weakened through an amendment in 2003. In sum, the ground work for a national ID project was completed by 2003 itself.
The parallels between the UPA’s UID and the NDA’s MNIC are too evident to be missed, even as the UPA sells UID as a purely “developmental” initiative. The former chief of the Intelligence Bureau, A.K. Doval, almost gave it away recently, when he said that UID, originally, “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”.
The potential of the project to unleash a security frenzy is the reason why privacy concerns have to be taken seriously. The government and the UIDAI have made it appear as if the purported, and unsubstantiated, benefits of “good governance” from the project eclipse the concerns regarding privacy and civil liberties. This is where the problem lies. A foundational understanding in the study of individual freedoms, pioneered by scholars like Amartya Sen, is that consequence-independent absolute rights are rather hard to defend. Hence, the demand to trade-off one freedom for another (here, the “invasive loss” of privacy for “development”) is an untenable demand. Each freedom, independently, has an instrumental value, and the loss of one freedom undermines the individual’s overall capability to expand up on other freedoms. No wonder then that Sen himself has voiced the privacy concern regarding the UID project.
There is a related concern: police and security forces, if allowed access to the biometric database, could extensively use it for regular surveillance and investigative purposes, leading to a number of human rights violations. As Amartya Sen has argued elsewhere, forced disclosure and loss of privacy always entailed “the social costs of the associated programmes of investigation and policing”. According to him, “some of these investigations can be particularly nasty, treating each applicant as a potential criminal.”
The second dimension of the UID project is the following: it would qualitatively restructure the role of the state in the social sector. Contrary to claims, the UID project is not an instrument to expand India’s social security system, for whatever it is worth. Instead, the aim is to keep benefits restricted to the so-called “targeted” sections, ensure targeting with precision and thereby, limit the government’s expenditure commitments. None other than the Prime Minister has made this amply clear. Addressing the National Development Council (NDC) on July 24, 2010, he noted: “to reduce our fiscal deficit in the coming years, … we must [be] … reducing the scale of untargeted subsidies. The operationalisation of the Unique Identification Number Scheme … provides an opportunity to target subsidies effectively.”
The UIDAI claims that UID would help the government shift from a number of indirect benefits into direct benefits. In reality, such a shift would represent the opposite: a transformation of the role of the state from a direct provider to an indirect provider. For the UIDAI, the UID is a tool of empowerment. In reality, the UID would be an alibi for the state to leave the citizen unmarked in the market for social services. Nowhere is the illustration more telling than in the case of the PDS.
Let me state the argument upfront. The UID project is part of a larger effort to dismantle the PDS in India. The aim is to ensure a back-door entry of food stamps in the place of PDS, and later graduate it to a cash transfer scheme, thereby completing the state’s withdrawal from the sphere of food procurement and distribution.
According to the UIDAI, the most important benefit from the UID could be that you could have a “portable” PDS. In other words, you could have a system where you (say, a migrant worker) could buy your PDS quota from anywhere in India. The claim, of course, has a deceptive appeal. One would have to dig deeper to grasp the real intent.
If we take the present fair price shop (FPS) system, each FPS has a specified number of households registered to it. The FPS stores grains only for the registered households. The FPS owner would not know how many migrants, and for what periods, would come in and demand their quota. Hence, for lack of stock, he would turn away migrant workers who demand grains. Hence, the FPS system is incompatible with the UID-linked portability of PDS. There is only one way out: do away with the FPS system, accredit grocery shops to sell grains, allow them to compete with each other and allow the shop owners to get the subsidy reimbursed. This is precisely what food stamps are all about; no FPS, you get food stamps worth an amount, go to any shop and buy grains (on why food stamps are deeply problematic, see Madhura Swaminathan, “Targeted Food Stamps”, The Hindu, August 3, 2004).
What is interesting is that everyone, except those enamoured by the UID glitter, appears to know this. On its part, UIDAI officially accepts that food stamps become easier to implement with the UID. So does the Planning Commission, which sees the UID as the fulcrum around which its plans to “reform” the PDS revolve. It turns out that an opposition to the dismantling of PDS, and to food stamps, also involves an opposition to the UID.
On his part, Nandan Nilekani has been showcasing his extraordinarily poor understanding of India’s developmental priorities. According to him, “in the Indira years, the slogan was garibi hatao. Then it was roti, kapda, makaan. In the last few years, it was bijli, sadak, pani.” However, these slogans are “passé”; the in-thing is the slogan “UID number, bank account, mobile phone.” Such an inverted world view, totally divorced from the grim realities of poverty, has prompted critics to call AADHAAR as just NIRAADHAAR!
In conclusion, the UID project is marked by both “security” and “developmental” dimensions. The former leads to an invasive state; the latter leaves us with a retreating state. Either way, the “citizen” is worse off.
( R. Ramakumar is with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.)
Comments:
Nonsensical arguments. The author seems to be in delusion, simply forgetting the enermous amount of benefits its going bring for millions of poors in this country.
from: niranjan
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 14:40 IST
With Multi-purpose National Identity Cards and Unique Identification Projects we are somnambulating into a highly regimented society more massive even than Communist China or the defunct USSR. The potential for abuses to which UID could be put to by bungling bureaucrats, corrupt law-enforcing agencies and power-hungry politicians is enormous.Just imagine another Indira Gandhi emergency under UID! The whole project should have been nipped in the bud. Now it seems we are leading the world in a our very own notorious way!
from: mohansingh
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 14:57 IST
I really don’t understand how privacy is lost in having an ID for a citizen. If we take the notion of privacy to bizarre levels, then we have already lost our privacy when we gave our information while applying for voters ID, Pan card, ration card, driving license etc. Only matter of concern is that since there is complete absence of a centralized data base and validation, one can posess numerous IDs in the above mentioned which make them a farce. If the Government is aiming for targeted subsidy, I whole heartedly welcome that since the govt’s priority should be it instead of giving subsidy to the entire nation. Investigation and human rights are two different things. There is no second opinion that human rights should be protected and respected and for that the law of the country should change. It is childish to put a point that there should be no investigation or surveillance in order to protect human rights. I would love to have an ID in my hand which the world will not regard as a joke. While Mr. Nilekani may not be the answer to all of India’s developmental goals, I congratulte the govt. in taking the decision to consult an expert instead of a few bureaucrats. Nandan can take genuine pride in being the architect of what will be a good data base.
from: Subhash
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 15:24 IST
The author seems to be an eternal pessimist. The positive benefits of UID outweigh the drawbacks foreseen by the socialist-minded author. Let the author think about ways to derive more positive benefits out this project rather than harping on its unsubstantiated pitfalls.
from: Ashok
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 15:30 IST
The author has clearly pointed out that UID is more a security project than a social welfare project. I completely agree with the author when says that the problem of duplicate ration cards is often exagerated. The problem in India is not identity – it is corruption.
from: Sathesh Selvamani
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 15:49 IST
Its good article and you have beautifully criticised UID project. But I think a country like India must have UID. First of all, whatever schemes govt is running it will help govt to easily monitor these expenditure of these schemes and at the same time it will help people to get benefit of that schemes. Presently what is happening, If you want to be beneficiary of a scheme you have to produce lot of documents from different agencies to prove your income, status etc. but if these information will be mapped with persons’ UID it doesn’t require any papers only one thing will be enough. This is one benefit. There are many more. Second thing if you say it will violate human rights, I want to ask one thing what is more inportant whether country’s security or a personal rights. I think country comes first. At this juncture i think media has to support this type of project rather than providing hyper negative image of a project. It will help authorities to work without much difficulty.
from: sanjay kumar gautam
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 16:18 IST
In Saudi Arabia, finger print (UID) is used largely in airports to detect fake passports. Those who deported from the country on various charges, used to comeback with fake passports, until Finger print introduced in airports. Thousands of illegal emigration has been prevented by authorities within three months of time, according to the news paper reports. Even a minister claimed that the criminal rate decreased after the introduction of this service. On this ground,I feel that unique identity for everyone in India will be good on both security and developmental dimensions that will help a lot, no doubt.
from: Kunhalankutty odakkal
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 16:20 IST
Point #1: Privacy, security – It is a concern. Remains to be seen if GOI indeed becomes a big brother. But Indian security services have always carried out surviellance on its people with colonial impunity. What is the new fear now? If people don’t object to Blackberry opening up its encryption protocols, a simple matter of having a ID card. No different from passport or driving license. This is not adding to any new intrusion. Besides the Europeans and Americans have some form of social security ID card which has very personal information. This is not the first time sovereign governments have collected this type of data. India is behind actually. This is a step forward from Election cards. FLAWED. Point #2 – Technology already exists to get sufficient biometric data accurately and safely. Courts around the world have used finger print as evidence for centuries now. It is possible, that errors are introduced in the process, but nothing which is insurmountable. FLAWED. Point #3 – Cost/Benefit. Having first-hand experience of implementing IT projects, the benefits cannot be directly measured. It’s a question of being stuck in 19th century or moving on to 21st. FLAWED. Point #4 – Is PDS the only governmental service? How about access to banking, burden of proof. A day will come when PDS becomes irrelevant. This is the way to get to that day. An electronic record is inherently more transparent and will eliminate corruption – from all citizen-government interfaces. Sure, there are risks, Orwellian it might be. But it needs to be done. India will become a 21st century country. And its about time.
from: Veera
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 17:00 IST
I completely agree with the author regarding the point that UID can lead to curtail one’s freedom and also about the overexaggeration of the duplicate ration cards.
from: Ajai Udayakumar
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 17:21 IST
How can a paper like Hindu publish the rants of such nonsensical arguments of an illogical convoluted shallow mind? I always thought Tata Institute of Social Sciences had pragmatic people but obviously not. This man creates his own (four!!) reasons for the UID project, then proceeds to demolish them with his own delusional reasoning. He then again proceeds to quote out of context Mr A Sen, Mr Doval(a retired bureaucrat as authority that UID is for security) to support his arguments. How can privacy can be lost when more than 110 Cr persons are involved? already Voters I card and Pan card are in vogue! It has become fashionable nowadays for NGOs and pseudo-intellectuals to oppose any Govt move or project whether it be PDS, dams, roads, social projects and do any thing for personal gains .This narrow visioned writer like Don Quixote creates his own windmills and attacks them with warped logic.
from: jaagoIndia
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 17:42 IST
There should be serious concern over one’s privacy if they take finger prints then it is equal to British who introduced Kutraparambarai sattam in Tamil Nadu. I support author’s view on privacy and human rights. Being a tech giant Nandhanji should think about this.
from: thyagaraj
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 17:45 IST
I wish to differ from your opinion for the following reasons: 1. the issue of identity is as important to a citizen as the existence of a state, the project undertaken by IIT Kanpur regarding the feasibility of this project is now using pyramid indexing techniques which are used by the likes of Search engines like google to arrive at results,( my batchmates have done a project on indexing as a part of their B Tech project), the technical committee’s objection largely points to the absence of study, and not the capability of the algorithm to handle this data.2. While it is true that food coupons have been largely a failure, are you not defending the grossly inefficient PDS system, your argument reminds me of the reason why telecom remained largely controlled in this nation, it was largely viewed as a threat to national security if people were given connection on the go, yet here we are, post Pitroda, we have lost our privacy to telemarketers, to gain, in your terms nothing.3. The UID project is voluntary hence any indvidual with privacy concerns is free to opt out, for poor immigrants who may now have a chance to get ration at subsidized rate, even when he dwells in urban slums.Your article largely reflects views of an apologist, bordering the rants of the castaway mourning the loss of wilson, as he embarks on his journey to challenge his destiny
from: tarang
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 17:47 IST
First tell me can any one gaurantee if this project is corruption free? Will this project not be like PDS or NREGS OR CWG or there will not a chance of selling of data by corrupt officers? And why this is not mandatory for all and there is nothing to check the correctness of information given by applicants. This project will certainaly help in PDS or social welfare schemes if correctly implemented but I doubt if it will be possible??
from: santosh
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 18:13 IST
Every project will have both pros and cons. One should see which ones are more. The author seems to be exaggerating the negatives, which I think are not reasonable. Maybe one has to look at the various reports available in http://uidai.gov.in, which has enormous details. Regarding privacy, I am trying to understand how it is violating. If you take as an example, a ration card will have most of the information of people, DOB, photo etc., How can this be violation..? In the current generation, with social networking, people are putting ‘everything’ on the net for public viewing.
from: Sravan Kumar
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 18:14 IST
It is definitely not wrong on the government’s point of view, to rationalize the subsidy and public distribution system/services, to augment costs and efficiency. Security is definitely another necessary dimension for any identification system. In a democratic setup with RTI acts and law of torts on anvil as important and critical tools to keep system in check, it would not be easy for the state to hijack the identity information of its people for specialized needs of time and consequences which are contrary to the basic freedom rights governed through law in this land. And we should also evolve a parallel law and systemic check basis to prevent any such hijacking of an individual’s identity. We as a young country, have lots things to implement for proper functioning of our society and today’s western society are not the examples for everything we need, but a credible ‘social indentification’ is definitely not wrong, when ‘ration cards’, ‘driving licenses’, others could be easily bought or influenced. It is very difficult to maintain the logistics of such a huge amount of data that too of different types (biometrics) and it is critical to avoid even a single error in this exercise. Believe people in the business know the risks involved. Social identification system definitely serve a right way to engage and maintain social services, proper working of social institutions and their services,and we in India definitely need a system which is unique and trustworthy too.
from: nanda
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 18:29 IST
I am really awed by the author’s capability to selectively choose examples and make unsubstantiated sweeping statements.
from: Prasannna
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 18:42 IST
Also agreed, our problems are the many corrupt elements at responsible places, but the only solution to keep corrupt elements and their acts in check, is accountability, and one accounts something to some identity and when this identity (literally UID) is trustworthy, the accountability is automatically trustworthy and probably corrupt elements could be kept in check.
from: nanda
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 18:45 IST
The author clearly seems to be irrationally biased. On the privacy front, at present, we do away various formalities using fake ids but it will not be the case after the inception of UIDs, now that cannot be termed as privacy intrusion. Somebody rightly mentioned the example of telecom industry; to some extent our privacy is being intruded but the advantages far outweigh them. Secondly, we should not consider only the PDS but also the things like micro finance where UIDs will be definitely more accountable than any thing existing till date. Certainly, there are great challenges ahead but we should be proactive as per the challenges rather than being cynical about them.
from: Divyansh
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 20:12 IST
i can easily see the sense of pessimism in this article though author has raised some good points regardin AADHAR but how can he forget the benefits of UID if there is an argument regarding UID he should have mentioned both aspects of UID.To me UID is turning out to be a good initiative which will definitely bring change in our PDS system and wash out the duplicacy.
from: rahul verma
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 20:27 IST
I do not agree with Author about losing one’s privacy. This is similar to having social security number in USA where you are required to give your finger prints. Is that a loss of privacy? If someone ask me about my identity in India, what do I provide? Ration Card number, License number or Passport number? Every Indian must have unique identification.
from: HP
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 21:01 IST
I partly agree with the author on aspect of projecting the UID project as a developmental tool. But, the UID program serves the need of a SSN prevalent in western countries, which is very much needed in present world. I am ready to give my personal data if i feel i will very much safer in te society.
from: prashanth
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 22:31 IST
My undergrad project was very similar to this. The author seems to be some sort of anti-state person. He is delusional and is pessimistic. The amount of information contained in the system can be used in a harmful way but by limiting clearance to the information this issue can be resolved. Again, if you fear politicians using it for the wrong purposes you should choose not elect anyone in the election(remember this option is available) unless you find a suitable trusted candidate. The best option would be not to reveal the information you do not want to reveal provided there is option for that.
from: Sreekanth
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 22:45 IST
I totally agree with writer view.First time i have seen this type of article which are showing different aspect of much-hyped UID project. Surely,there has been no feasibility analysis of project. Government is trying to convert PDS into food stamps and finally cash transfer.In single word AADHAAR is NIRAADHAAR!
from: Satish Jamshedpur
Posted on: Oct 21, 2010 at 23:28 IST
The article is based on flawed presumptions. As pointed out by other contributors, every single citizen is already present in various data bases – from the village panchaayat, patwaari’s records, local police station, post office, municipal house records, electricity department records, water department records, school records, college records, ration cards, voter identity cards, passports, plus the ever-present-in-the-shadows, ubiquitous ‘mukhbir’ or intelligence records. Surely, the UID data won’t be able to ‘view’ people behind their four- walled ‘private’ lives? What, then, is left to hide behind the veil of ‘privacy’? What privacy, if I may so ask? And, why so much hue and cry over this ‘sacred’ word? Will the UID map people’s minds? Record their psychological profiles? By all means it should, if a person is habitually found to be violating the law such as drunken driving, raping, murdering, and other such deviant behaviours which the pseudo-intellectual-liberals cry themselves hoarse to club together as ‘human rights’. Of course, the laws of the land and the judicial system are there to protect an individual’s liberty, privacy and other rights. Or is it the case of the anti-UID’s that the UID system will abolish the NGOs, the courts and the legislature, and only the bureaucracy (including the police and intelligence apparatus) will remain? Please, use some logic and sense. It is the crying need of our times to manage our burgeoning numbers. How can you do that without putting in place a system that, at the very least, identifies each citizen of the country?
from: Vinod
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 00:27 IST
Mr.Ramkumar is way-off his mark. PDS needs to be dismantled as it created more poverty and unemployment in states like Bihar and Kerala (to my knowledge, as I have proof). UID exists in many forms in India and many countries. It is hardly a threat or a lose. Many IT, R&D, defence companies collect for more information than these.
from: Sridhar
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 06:17 IST
Oh yes, UID should be scrapped. Also the passport, ration card, college ID card, driving licence etc. should be banned. After all, these are the huge violation of my privacy!! Why should I tell ‘anybody’ where I live or how old I am. What if passport officers in cahoot with corrupt police start harassing me. and Oh! why should the income tax department need to know how much I earn? This is a serious breach of my ‘privacy’. I most certainly do not want my personal information to be store in govt offices for it may be ‘misused’. I am an honest man- I will drop my tax-dues anonymously in a drop-box (if and when provided). Please O please Mr. Ramakumar, write another article about this gross injustice(in terms of privacy issue) meted out to ordinary citizens like me by the income tax department.
from: Sunil
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 07:56 IST
This project may bring down crime rate in India. With a fingerprint data base at the national level offenders will think twice before committing any crime.
from: Prasad
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 08:36 IST
In USA lakhs of cases if identity theft have occured. Banks, credit card institutions routinely expose user data to criminal they are not obliged to report data theft. Real data about data theft is unknown. Major finance institutions routinely flout laws and make tens of billions then pay a few hundred million fine. State institutions like tax authoritys, county offices with house tax records, court houses reporting traffic fines civil and criminal judgments all expose private data to public. They are not even obliged by law to protect your data. Even now hundreds of thousands of passports are made using social security number of minors by drug and criminal cartels a fact routinely reported in media. Imagine what will happen in India. Where home address from school records and municipal records were scanned two years in advance by preprators of Gujarat roots.
from: gcravi
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 08:57 IST
Kudos to the author for presenting a parallel perspective in looking at the UID issue. We cannot rule out the possibly that when it comes down to it, these things are possible although it sounds much like a Hollywood flick – it really is! I totally agree with Subhash, however, and think that it will help delineate the rightful recipients of our social schemes without resulting in a useless drain on our economy. Hopefully, after the project has been fully implemented, our governments will not be left with excuses for not capturing trouble makers as well as letting food rot away. Also, as with any system in our great country, continued execution is an issue. Will have to wait and see how that works out.
from: Mitali
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 10:07 IST
The author seems to exaggerating the privacy aspects of UID project. In this terror infested 21st century I would rather loose some of my so called “privacy” than being blown up by some crazy Jihaids on a public train. Thank you very much.
from: Prasanth Nambiar
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 10:09 IST
In a country well known for the presence of corruption and government inefficiency, asking people to give up their privacy in the name of tackling problems they are not responsible for is a crime. It is not that we cannot identify lawful citizens, but that we fail to do anything about obviously corrupt ones.
from: Hasan
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 10:36 IST
I dont know why the Positives of this issue are kept away from the people….Only things mentioned in this particular article are against this project.The UID’s may in turn reduce corruption, the benefits and schemes of the government would directly reach the common people. Every citizen will get his share of thing accurately and correctly. Talking about privacy we have allready lost all our privacy in tis modern world.
from: KESHAV
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 10:36 IST
A unique ID will not solve fundamental issues of governance. Our government is corrupt. Moreover, whenever the government feels challenged, all respect for human rights is thrown out of the window. If we are really the technologically advanced nation we wish to be, perhaps we should begin to address the research questions that the author of the article outlines – such as – assessing the robustness of a biometric system in a sample set of more than one billion people, or testing the reliability of identification under variable fingerprint quality in different conditions (e.g. dermatological). Before we do proper research this would be foolish, even from a technical standpoint.
from: nandini
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 10:56 IST
The whole UID project itself is a big Scam and waste of Taxpayers/Govt money. Most of the people, including in rural areas, have one or more then one form of identification documents. Like driver’s license, ration card with pictures, passport, voter’s card, PAN card, etc. Now there is one more card in valet, UID! Now so called pundits argue, all those identifications are flawed, not adequate and not genuine, does it mean instead of correcting the system, we just adding up one more card? If they have any true intentions they could have easily expanded PAN to every citizen with additional info like biometrics, which can be used for both tax purposes and any social development activities. PAN is a must for so many things now and am sure more then 50% of population already have this number. PAN is something that they implemented knowingly or unknowingly in an agile mode (rather then in a big bang) and this can be expanded easily with additional information and features. Now it’s one more number to remember and keep track of it. A separate identity for tax purposes and separate identity number for citizen identification!! Smart IT Guru Thinking!! Down the line they may come up with another great idea of integrating UID with other IDs!!Finally, to do this project management job for this project the post created was ‘Central Cabinet Rank Minister,’ what a sweet deal! Classical example of how corrupt political parties and corporate dalal take care of each other at the expense of people’s money and people going through all this non-sense!!
from: isha
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 11:34 IST
How many card projects will come to India? At the end of the day our wallet will have 1.election card 2.pancard 3.driving licence 4.uid card 5.credit & debit cards. This total process is for PDS system or checking immigrants in border states. I personally feel UID is a wasted process, at least 40% of Indians are having multi cards, remaining 60% don’t know the use of cards, end of the day UID will reach these 40% people only. To reach 60% govt of India, ngos, service provider has to work on macro level, it will not end in 45-60 day programme. It will take minimum 2-3 years to complete 1 district in India, Does the service provider or concerned officer really have that much time? It is very easy to tell it is a fantastic project but reality is different at the ground.
from: srinivas
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 12:10 IST
The author is stretching his imagination too far and has many comments without supporting data. Just as an example, “data on duplicate or falsified ration cards are exaggerated” – could have been substantiated with data. “Police and security forces, if allowed access to biometric data” is an unnecessary extrapolation. Obviously, if data exists with an agency, the risk of it being used/misused by any other governmental agency exists any day. More importantly, it is very difficult to understand the logic of the claim that there is intrusion in privacy. Finally, even if there was an intrusion in privacy, national security cannot be compromised at the cost of individual’s privacy concerns.
from: Ramki Seshagiri
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 12:54 IST
Behead anybody abusing identity documents or forging them and we will have NO problems keeping this problem at bay. Hang people using fake ration cards in one district and we will see how quickly the rest vanish.
from: B S Kumar
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 12:54 IST
Such highly pessimistic analysys from Tata Institute of social sciences is surprising. How can establishment of identity of citizens be detrimental to the society. Already a number of identity cards exist in the form voter identity card, PAN card, Ration card etc,. Should all these also to scrapped. Will it not result in absolute anarchy? Issue of UID cards may address security issues as well. Any regulation to streamline the system may cause inconvenince to those who are taking advantage of the weakness of the system. Why show sympathy for such people? It is also surprising that THE HINDU found it fit to publish.
from: murthy b.n.a.
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 14:12 IST
Mr. Ramkumar is obviously lost while making the case againts UID. His feeble argument seem to defend the vast nepotism in the PDS system and the increasing security concerns which the Indian state has to deal with. It is still open to judgement whether UID shall indeed be successful in delivering us as it challenge would lie in execution and keeping its costs low.
from: Maneesh Mohan
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 14:56 IST
The author is correct about the privacy issue. But this is a time when every one needs to be documented. UID will be more beneficial in the long run. And there should be laws to protect the UID.
from: bzach
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 15:56 IST
I fully agree with Ramkumar fears. How many of you would like juvenile activities to recorded in school/police station against uid? It will also lead to profiling by state, without any check. How many of us would like our activity sheet to be accessable by state without our knowledge? it will lead to intrusive state.There should be provision for deresister from great UID database.
from: Ashok
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 16:52 IST
The author seems to have heavily pessimistic view of what UID is. Let me quote something in defence of UID. 1)Regarding the privacy issue, how can the police manufacture somebody’s fingerprints and retina scans at the place of crime even though he knows the finger print markers. 2) The finger print and eye scans when taken will not be stored as part of rawdata,ie Images of finger prints are converted to digital data using highly complex algorithms (the digital code keeps change every now and then)how can a police copy and manufacture a digital code and frame an innocent, when courts need finger print rawdata. 3)Every year thousands of crores of money are wasted in subsidies which do not reach the poor. atleast when UID comes up, it will put the onus on individual families to carry on improving their place in society and not on foolish fabian socialist ideas of justice.
from: VAMSI
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 16:55 IST
Those whose argument is about the security and police getting it without your knowledge should read the UID website first. There it is clearly stated that the system will give only ‘YES” or ‘NO’ response to any ID authentication; it will not be accessible to any government or private organisation. So why the furor about police or any other agency accessing your info when its is completely not possible.
from: Khanjan Kotecha
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 17:54 IST
Mr.Ramkumar is not practical.Take the example of mobile phones No Sim card is supposed to be activated till proofs in terms of documents are submitted.Yet there are lakhs (if not millions) of sim cards whose real owners are not known. Many a mobile user is pestered by mobile operators for resubmission of documents though these have been submitted umpteen times to them.They just can not keep the data of a million cards safely.How can we expect the UID authorities to keep the data of a billion people safely? The UID scheme will be a failure in a country where inefficiency and corruption is the order of the day for reasons best known to all of us. It is very difficult to lose one’s privacy in the country of iefficient people.
from: S N IYER
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 18:25 IST
Anybody with some knowledge of IT or ever has used an email account, knows the amount of effiency online authetication brings. And there is a widespread agreement that current systems are higly inefficient. Like every system, UID can be used for GOOD as well as BAD. So lets not dump a system that has the potential to improve the efficency of goverment schemes by overstating just the BAD features. We must be ready to innovate with new systems and improve it. Any problems with it should be resolved as soon we find it. I believe such an attitude is more correct than just saying ‘oh there are problems with it, so dump it’. The age of cynicism has begun in India too. I would prefer an innefficient country than a cynical country where nobody is trusted and there is no order as a result.
from: Girish
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 19:01 IST
The better is the enemy of the good – Voltaire. The good part here is the UID Aadhaar project and better is what the author envisages. In a country of this scale, every project has its cons and surely its execution comes at some cost. What matters to the country is whether the cons outweigh the benefits forseen by the execution of the project. Although, I appreciate ‘The Hindu’ for bringing these constraints to the fore, I feel that the author’s argument isn’t deeply analytical and hence weak.
from: Sudhakar Matta
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 19:34 IST
Very sorry to say, a very very biased article. UID is must for India, be it for security or for the development or tracking of various government schemes. Every citizen must be represented by a unique ID in all the databases, be it passport, ration card, PAN card, Voter list, Driving Liscence etc. It is a must.
from: Shaurya Agarwal
Posted on: Oct 22, 2010 at 22:22 IST
The UID project ultimately gives a corrupt craven government the means by which they can activate or inactivate a UID card for any of its citizens for any reason whatsoever. So if you are a social activist, a conscientious objector, a journalist, a political rival or merely a thorn in a governments side – you can and will have your data tampered with. Consequently a police screen will always turn up a positive hit on your profile. Combine this with the endemic corruption at the state and central levels and you have an Orwellian state. Perhaps it may be germane to point out that these cards also have an embedded chip with GSM capability, which indicates they can be used as tracking devices.
The pro-UID camp appears to be the re-incarnation of Josef Goebels during the propaganda campaign leading to WW2. For all the comments on this article about, ‘terrorists’ from obvious civilians, nothing causes a country to lose its freedom, values and social achievements as empty warnings that ‘terrorists’ are on the loose. The UID project is the brainchild of a feudal dictatorial police state ably assisted by wealthy feckless engineers who dream about their coming omnipotence.
from: Ranganathan Veersuba
Posted on: Oct 23, 2010 at 03:47 IST
I don’t know why this guy is so pessimistic, there is always some compromise we need to make when you are gaining on important issues. I am not sure if you can imagine the far reaching benefits of identity in 21st century for country like India. Believe me there is no direct answer to removing poverty for such a huge country, what can be done is create an atmosphere to improve transparency in governance and it will indirectly benefits the quality of living. Now is the golden time for India to do something in this regards, and strongly believe Nandan Nilekani is best suited for this job as he is well tested and successful in technology field. Common… Mr. R. Ramakumar, offer solutions not just throw questions. be responsible when writing a article on the widely trusted news media like “The Hindu”.
from: SSK
Posted on: Oct 23, 2010 at 04:17 IST
Seems like the author has very less knowledge about the project and the benefits of it plus he is not concernd about national security at all. Tonnes of food grains are rotting in warehouses in India and this guy has a problem with migrant workers claiming food grains. Rather than talking about improving the distribution system he is blaming the UID project. Another thing I don’t agree with is how it will compromise privacy. The author has just menioned it and there is no sufficient background to prove it. After 26/11 and such other attacks I think a project like this will be of huge importance to national security. Think about if bank accounts and PAN card are linked to it, lot of people involved in frauds will be caught. Finally, let me talk about cost prospective. As the author has mentioned about cheaper alternatives like holograms being used by some states. Lets think about the economis of scale in such kind in initiative. A single bio-metric device can be used to take finger prints of lakhs of people. Also, database of 1 billion people is not a big deal give the fact that storage is cheap these days. Laptops are coming with 1 terabyte hard disk these days.
from: Linesh
Posted on: Oct 23, 2010 at 14:49 IST
Today, there is no single identity standard for the citizen, we have many: Voter ID, Driving License, Passport etc. And, many of those options are not available to children..! A single authentic statement of a person’s identity is very desirable. Weeding out aliens is as important, though that does not seem to be a priority for the UPA government. PDS, more than distribution of food, is the cesspool of huge corruption sucking out essential energies of the State. If money indeed goes directly to the person’s bank account and one can buy food, the objective is achieved! We should fight for equity and food, not PDS.
from: Kumar
Posted on: Oct 23, 2010 at 18:09 IST
The article and comments are the proof of widening gap between poor, middle class and rich. India is not yet ready for UID.
from: prasbad
Posted on: Oct 24, 2010 at 07:23 IST
It is clearly evident that the arguments put forward in the article are cynical in all respects. Firstly, I don’t understand how the privacy of an individual is threatened on issuing a UID. Don’t we all provide similar personal details while signing up for a passport, driving licence, PAN card etc. For one moment, let us assume that the project is purely aimed at improving the security scenario, even then the benefits would be extra-ordinary given the fact that the government spends enormous amounts of money on it. This in turn can be diverted to other important and pertinent issues on hand. Secondly, a centralised database will make things so much easier for police authorities in curbing the crime rate locally. And why create a ruckus over the intention of the government in providing target specific benefits, which is essentially preventing the misuse of resources. In a nutshell, the UID project will prove extremely beneficial especially for a growing superpower like India.
from: Abhishek Khota
Posted on: Oct 25, 2010 at 14:56 IST
Yes, it is a good idea to have a unique number for each citizen. But collecting fingerprints along with that is where it all goes wrong. That certainly is an invasion of privacy. Someone had commented that in the US you have to provide fingerprints for getting the SSN. This is not true. With the amount of mismanagement by the political babus (see CWG for an example), I don’t think a true Orwellian India will materialize. That requires too much communication and coordination and control systems which seem to be an anathema to India at this time. But the flip side is that, if it does materialize there will be no recourse for the common citizen if the UID information is misused. It certainly gives a whole lot of power to whoever is in authority – if there aren’t enough controls, misuse is very likely.
from: Sathya
Posted on: Oct 25, 2010 at 20:53 IST
The hype around the UID scheme AADHAR is too much and is misleading as has been brought out. The duplicate identity that exists today may be drastically reduced. But unless other systems are in place, just the UID may not help.The scheme may work fine at the demonstration level with a few hundred sample records; But may face serious problems as the numbers in the database increases to the full level of India’s population. Is it possible that one day you are making an application or a banking transaction and you continue to wait, wait and wait and finally you get the reply from the system that you are not authenticated due to communication failure. Even with smaller databases the problems are quite bad. Most of us would have experienced problems with a railway ticket. Quite a few times you book the first ticket and for the second or the return journey ticket the standard communication failure comes up. Recently I paid LIC premium for four policies through Axis Bank. For three of them the process went on smoothly. But for one of them there was no success even after the 10th attempt by the bank operator and had to be abandoned. Subsequently transactions of other customers went on. On the next day the payment for the same policy went through without a hitch in the first attempt itself. These are at present systems with character matching – that is a set of strings with 26+10 basic alphanumeric characters and we get into problems. Finger print will be image matching with possible changes in orientation, proportion change due to age, health, pressure on the pad etc., Image comparison can be quite complex. What will happen if the operator tells you that three of your fingers are OK; But the other two are of a different person? Computer records have one more problem. While paper records show up any tampering, computer records do not show the tampering. You may build a redundancy and in built check; But they can be beaten with sophistication using the computer itself for processing the modifications and also defeating the in-built checks. Similar hype was there when the Income Tax department introduced the PAN. After so many years after its introduction, we still do not get proper response or processing — only recently an assessment order for a lady has been received with reduction of the refund due treating the lady as male, that too with the return on efiling.Anyway the process is on we will step into new problems with the new systems. UID has come at a time when the software industry was facing a dip it does give good amount of jobs. Anyway jobs are created, which is something good. You can hire consultants for doing the analysis & then hire experts to check the analysis. Change is a way of life. Let us see. Keep hoping for the better.
from: Bhavani Prasad
Posted on: Oct 27, 2010 at 11:39 IST
Tembhli (Nandurbar), September 28, 2010
Villagers clueless in Tembhli on the eve of getting UID
Amruta Byatnal
The mood in Tembhli in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar district is festive. The village has been freshly painted, roads have been built, the villagers have got the ‘bonus’ food grains and everyone is ready for the big day. Only, no one knows what the celebration is all about.
A day before Tembhli becomes the first village in India to get the Unique Identification Numbers (UIDs) and is declared as an ‘Aadhar’ village by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA President Sonia Gandhi, the villagers are caught between sudden media attention and all the preparation.
No answers
“Aamla kay malum?” (What do we know?) is the answer for almost every question. Probe deeper and you will only get more questions. “We know Sonia bai is coming. And that is why roads were built in our village. But why is she coming?” asks Taibai Sumbhu Thackarey.
“Who should we ask tai? Nobody tells us. They just tell us some big people are coming. They gave us food grains and some money. We are happy with that. If these people hadn’t come, we wouldn’t have got anything,” Mangu Devman Sonawne told The Hindu.
The ‘big’ people include Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, Deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal and UID chief Nandan Nilekani.
“They took our thumbprints, and said they would give us some card. But what is the use of that card? Will they give us jobs?” asks Mangu, the hope in his voice is unmistakable.
Mangu’s daughter Ranjana, though, does not hold on to any optimism. “We are adivasis and we will be. Even people who have studied till 12th Standard do not have jobs. How can a card guarantee everything?” she asks.
‘Blessed village’
Pointing at the newly installed electric meters at every house in Tembhli, Mangu’s neighbour Maibai says the village has been blessed. “Nobody else gives us anything. We got food grains for the first time in three years. Whoever is coming tomorrow is like God for us. All the work was done quickly and we got a month’s worth of ration,” she says.
95 percent of tribal population in Tembhli basically relies on labour for a living. Most of them spend nine months in the Gujarat, working as farm labour. Interestingly, even as the preparations are on for the historic event on Wednesday, many in Tembhli are getting ready to leave for Gujarat after the inauguration function.
Kantabai Sonawne, perhaps has it more sorted out when she says, “We were told by the officials to wait for tomorrow, so we are here. Otherwise we have contracts in Gujarat that we have to go back to. The free foodgrain will not last us forever.”
TEMBHLI( NANDURBAR), October 2, 2010
Tembhli back to square one as labourers leave for Gujarat
Amruta Byatnal
A day after Tembhli etched its ‘identity’ on the map of India becoming the country’s first ‘Aadhar’ village, two trucks of people left for Gujarat to work as farm labourers. At the national launch of the Unique Identification (UID) card, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi hailed Tembhli as the symbol of the development of India. The truth, though, lies in the aftermath of the grand function.
According to activists, most of the people who migrate are like bonded labour, as they have already taken loans from the ‘mukadam’ (contractor), which they will pay back through labour. For the nine months that they will work as sugarcane-cutters and other farm labour in Gujarat, they will get Rs. 10,000. Otherwise in their village, the men get Rs. 50 a day, and the women and children get Rs. 30 a day for working in the nearby farms.
The whole of Tembhli is declared as a Below Poverty Line (BPL) village, with 432 BPL families. Two days back, villagers told the reporters that the BPL cards were distributed in the village ten days ahead of Dr. Singh’s visit. Before that, they had been coaxing the village administration to issue cards, to no avail. Job cards for the MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) were issued two weeks ago. According to Pratibha Shinde, the village has not seen any opportunities through MGNREGS yet. Ms. Shinde says, “Such was the awe over the Prime Minister’s visit that even people who had ration cards were issued new cards free of cost because the existing ones looked old and tattered. It usually costs Rs. 22 for a BPL card holder to get a new card.”
The village, notorious for malnutrition, has a population of just over 1,400. It witnessed an influx of civil servants and media for the first time in 60 years. With that, came concrete roads, freshly painted houses, free foodgrains and Sonia Gandhi’s visit. Most villagers still talk of ‘Indira Mai’ as the ‘Goddess’ who provides for everything. “The mentality of people is that whoever gives them things for free is God. They have no concept of fighting for their rights,” Ms. Shinde states.
Many still don’t know how the 12-digit unique identification will help make their lives better. For now, their identity is limited to being farm labourers on land not owned by them.
NEW DELHI, October 28, 2010
UID numbers soon for schoolchildren
Special Correspondent
NEW INITIATIVE: Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal (third from left) and Unique Identification Authority of India Chairman Nandan Nilekani (second from right) watch as Joint Secretary in the HRD Ministry Amit Khare (second from left) and UIDAI Deputy Director Anil Kachi (right) exchange documents in New Delhi on Tuesday. Minister of State D. Purandeswari is seen at left. Photo: V. Sudershan
All schoolchildren will soon have unique identification numbers (UID), which will help in tracking their movement in educational institutions and academic records.
This follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) here on Wednesday.
The system will help in tracking students’ mobility by creating an electronic registry, right from the primary level through secondary and higher education, as also between the institutions. Imprinting of the UID number on the performance records of students, including mark-sheets, merit certificates and migration certificates, will be helpful to prospective employers and educational institutions.
The UID number will also help in dealing with problems such as fake degrees. It could be utilised while dematting of academic certificates, as also education loans and scholarship schemes.
Iris scanning would be done for children aged between 5 and 15, while finger print marks would be added subsequently. Infants and children below the age of five will get the number, but their biometric identification will be done only after the age of five.
Speaking on the occasion, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said that with the new system, the delivery mechanism would be made more efficient.
Educational uses
The technology would be used for proper implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act and monitoring of the mid-day meal scheme and other school programmes.
The Ministry will cooperate and collaborate with the UIDAI in conducting proof of concept (PoC) studies, pilots to test the working of the technology, process of enrolment into the UID database and identify registrars for implementing the UID project (PoC and pilots).
The Ministry will help ensure that the registrars do all that is necessary to put in place an institutional mechanism to effectively oversee and monitor the implementation of the UID project. They will also provide logistic and liaison support to the staff and representatives of the UIDAI.
The MoU was signed by Amit Khare, Joint Secretary in the HRD Ministry, and Anil Kachi, Deputy Director of UIDAI, signed the MoU in the presence of Mr. Sibal and UIDAI Chairman Nandan Nilekani.
School dropouts
Mr. Nilekani noted that the UID would be particularly helpful in tracking school dropouts and migrant students, thereby making access to education possible.
“We are already running a programme for enrolment of homeless people in Delhi that will automatically include children who are out of school,” he said.
The government set up the UIDAI for issuing UID numbers to all residents of India, based on the demographic and biometric data of individuals.
The UIDAI will develop and prescribe standards for recording data fields, data verification and biometric fields, prescribe a process for enrolment of beneficiaries/students to authenticate the identity of a person with a UID number.
Keywords: unique identification numbers, educational institutions, Unique Identification Authority of India
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Unique Identification is the prestigious and visionary planning of Govt. of India. The PMO (Prime Minister Office) has appointed Mr. Nandan Nilekani as a chief of UID authority. Mr. Nandan gets independent charge of UID authority like DMRC. No govt. agency will interfere in the planning, implication and any process of UID authority. The PMO will observe its progress and there is no limitation of funds. UID cards distribution will start full phase in year 2011 and Tembli’s villagers gets its first UID cards. No buddy knows that what is the benefits of UID.
UIDAIcards.com is providing a platform to express your views, thoughts and suggestions for the success of UID project… Our best wishes and support will be with UID authority 24×7 for the success of UID Project…
What we think about the UID card projects and how it will be use.
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Card’s configuration..
The card should be available with Magnetic tape with chip.
Codes
# Use for Unique Identity cards
* Use for NRI.
// Use for foreigners working in embassies or Ministers/ Officials.
= Use for foreign visitors in India.
*/ Foreigners are working in Indian corporate.
0091 Country code for NRI we can use (his/ her country code)
0011 Delhi (state code) NRI belongs to this state
0000 District Code. NRI belongs to this district.
**** **** **** Person’s Identity NRI’s Identity No….
The total card codes will be …
# 0091 0011 0000 **** **** **** for Indian
* 0001 0212 0000 **** **** **** for NRI (US Citizen)
// 0001 0212 0000 **** **** **** for other foreigners working in India.
= 0001 0011 0000 **** **** **** for foreign visitors.
*/ 0001 0032 0000 **** **** **** for foreigners working in corporates.
0001 Country code of NRI/ Foreigner
0000 State code of India (To know his position) (for foreign visitor use Airport location)
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How the card can be multipurpose for us:
•Debit Card (Before transaction the person has to enter its last four digits of virtual Debit cards)
•Credit Card (before transaction the person have to enter its last four digits of virtual cards)
•No need to keep huge foreign currency or Indian rupee in India.
•Bank Account opening, No need to file any paper just swipe your and guarantor’s UID card.
•In NREGA/MNREGA the contractor will file your card code in his attendance register and you will get your payment in your bank account.
•Employer just enter his/ her UID at the time of joining, his/ her all record will update with current employer.
•Just fill only your UID card no. in Online Tax returns; it will automatically deduct your tax after rebate (LIC, 80G, and Investment). Here no need to get refund and govt. can save thousands of Cr. Rupees as refund interest.
•During the shopping in your area you have to swipe your card and insert the pin for transactions. For this banks have to reduce transition charges till 0.1% or free.
•This card will be our driving license. On this card a picture will be published of authorized driving vehicle. (White car for pvt., and yellow car for commercial).
•Our all the personal records like, height, finger prints and education will be feed available in it.
•Card holder can cast his/ her vote at any where in India through ATM or any information kiyosk with the help of this card. (The person will enter its card in voting machine and soon all candidate lists will be available of his/ her locality in touch panel voting machine.
•No one cay buy or sell any property without UID card. Through it we can control the black money and confirm that how much property is belongs to with this person. Govt. can provide subsidy to whom have not any flat or property and get extra tax who have already flat or property.
•Through this card govt. will deduct Electricity bill, Water bill, house tax or other bills itself. No need to go anywhere to submit your bill. (It should be applicable first in A B and C category of Cities).
•Stop the PDS system :- Now Govt. should stop PDS system in India. We all are know that only powerful peoples are availing all the benefits of PDS system and subsidy. There is lots of persons who are paying income tax and getting BPL facility and using Ration Cards. We should use UID to divert subsidy in actual beneficiary at his/her UID account so that he can buy grain, rice and sugar from other departmental stores. The subsidy (It is will be in point) will directly deduct from his/her account according to his/her family unit and he /She can’t convert this subsidy into money. Through this channel the BPL holder will get lots of benefits like, No need to go @ Fair Price Shop during working Day, Any time shop from any departmental store, No need to setup fair price shop, It saves transportation cost & Manpower, No need to store buffer stock, Actual person will get benefit, No black marketing and lots of other benefits.
UID, PAN card, license and help to identify nationality
Today we are living in info streaming age and we have not any information about the UID cards. We know that it is a use full for all Indians who is living in India and abroad. Now UID has not cleared that they will make UID card for NRI and foreigners. Because if we are providing UID to our entire motive is defeating. How do you identify the person that he/she is Indian, Brazilian, Paki or Bangladesi because all’s color are same and they can speak local language easily and what about the foreigner nationalist who is working in India?
As per my assumption govt. should make UID cards for all as per his identity, If he/she is visitor he should a visitor UID card with all information and he/she will bear temp UID cost as per visa norms. Because here in India lots of foreign nationalist is living without visa and information. If he/she will lose his/her passport who will recognize his/her status and nationality. UID can solve the identification issue and help to deport unwanted person. The other thing is that we have already lots of cards like Pan, Driving, Debit, Credit and lots of other cards with Voter I Card. In my previous blog I have mention that how can we use it dynamically for all thing and really it reduce our wallet load and provide single card for all transaction. We can merge all other cards in UID so that we will have not carry different card for different. Now govt. can merge PAN, Service Tax No., Passport, National Health Card, Bank Card and Voter ID cards in first phase because all cards provided by Central govt. and they can merge it easily. In second phase state govt. can merge PDS system, Driving License, Official cards etc. Phase by phase we can manage it and make it multiuser card. What do you think that govt. should issue UID cards for NRI and foreign nationalist or Not. We are waiting for your view. Because through this platform we reach our voice to govt. to take positive decision on UID for NRI.. The writer is Sr. Consultant in ITvision India. * We are changing continuously after your views and suggestion. Hope you will keep continue your support.. This website is not an official website of UIDAI. You can send your views and suggestions at info@uidaicards.com FOR LATEST UPDATES, JOIN US
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Official UID website is http://www.uidai.gov.in
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