2577 - India Innovating with Biometric Identification Numbers
The Government of India along with Nandan Nilekani, the IT leader has created an ID for every citizen
15th May 2012 Pooja Thakkar
If the Innovation is all about creating better products, enriching lives, then Government of India has introduced one of the most innovative projects till date called AADHAAR operating under its arm called Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
It was established in February 2009, and aims to provide a unique id number to all Indians by maintaining a database of residents containing biometric and other data.
The UIDAI is part of the Planning Commission of India. Nandan Nilekani, former co-chairman of Infosys Technologies, is responsible for overlooking the project and providing his expertise on the same.
AADHAAR meaning 'support' or 'foundation' is a 12-digit unique number which will be issued to all 1.2Billion People in India. 600 million Indians are expected to receive the twelve-digit identity number by 2014 in the first phase of the project.
It's a step towards putting India in the club of more than 50 countries around the world that have some form of national identity cards. These include most of continental Europe (not the UK), China, Brazil, Japan, Iran, Israel and Indonesia.
The cards will hold the person’s name, age, and birth date, as well as fingerprints or iris scans, though no caste or religious identification.
The Anticipated Benefits
- Citizens would be spared the hassle of repeatedly providing supporting identity documents each time they wish to access services such as obtaining a bank account, passport, driving license and so on.
- Aadhaar will also facilitate entry for poor and underprivileged residents into the formal banking system and the opportunity to avail services provided by the government and the private sector.
- Giving migrants mobility of identity.
“Ultimately, I wouldn’t be surprised if the UID, with its biometric data, could be used as a means of payment (when linked to a bank account), or as an access key to homes and cars. Purchase a meal with your fingerprint and unlock your door,” writes Aaron Saenz of the Singularity Hub.
The scheme is the brainchild of Nandan Nilekani, one of India’s best-known software tycoons. Mr. Nilekani is a corporate czar beyond excellence. Having been at the helm of one of India's most successful corporate ventures, he has had immense exposure to the global technological trends. The success of Aadhar would reflect how corporate excellence can integrate with governance in this country.
“We are going to have to build something on the scale of Google, but it will change the country… every person for first time [will] be able to prove who he or she is… We are not profiling a billion people. This will provide an ID database which government can access online. There will be checks and balances to protect identities,” said Nilekani.
Critics
Doubts have been raised over privacy and the complex security of the project. Critics say the project will turn India into an Orwellian police state that will spy on citizens’ private lives.
“We do not want an intrusive, surveillance state in India,” said Usha Ramanathan, a lawyer who has written and lobbied against the project.
The concerns voiced by critics are valid but at the same time Aadhar has the potential to reduce corruption by a significant margin. Besides the impact, it is also crucial because of the man behind its creation.