Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) project - India's reply to SSN

[ViruRulez]

I am creating this thread as I was replying in another thread and noticed that there is not a single thread about it on ICF. If it is properly implemented, it might help significantly in reducing the economic disparity in India and also help in several other fields. For those who dont know, it would be similar to Social Security Number (SSN) in US and it would serve as identity for each and every individual. Former Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani is heading the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) project since the last few years on personal request from Dr. Manmohan Singh in the rank of a cabinet minister. I have seen a lot of his interviews in these years and he seems to be dedicated to the cause. Here is a basic gist from wikipedia of UIDAI:

The Unique Identification Authority of India (Hindi: भारतीय विशिष्ट पहचान प्राधिकरण), or the UIDAI, is an agency of the Government of India responsible for implementing the envisioned Multipurpose National Identity Card or Unique Identification card (UID Card) project in India. It was established in February 2009, and will own and operate the Unique Identification Number database.[1] The authority will aim at providing a unique number to all Indians, but not smart cards.[2] The authority would provide a database of residents containing very simple data in biometrics.[3] The agency is headed by a chairman, holds a cabinet rank. The UIDAI is part of the Planning Commission of India.[1][4] Nandan Nilekani, a former co-chairman of Infosys Technologies, was appointed as the first Chairman of the authority in June 2009.[5]. Ram Sewak Sharma, an IAS Officer of Jharkhand Government cadre has been appointed as the Director General and Mission Director of the Authority. He is known for his best effort in e-Governance project for Jharkhand State and working as an IT secretary he received a number of awards for best Information Technology Trends State in India. It is believed that Unique National IDs will help address the rigged state elections, widespread embezzlement that affects subsidies and poverty alleviation programs such as NREGA.[6] Addressing illegal immigration into India and terrorist threats is another goal of the program.[7] Most reports suggest that the plan is for each Indian citizen to have a unique identification number with associated identifying biometric data and photographs by 2011.[8] However, other reports claim that obtaining a unique number would be voluntary, but those that opt to stay out of the system "will find it very inconvenient: they will not have access to facilities that require you to cite your ID number."[2] Government issued IDs are fragmented by purpose and region in India, which results in widespread bribery, denial of public services and loss of income, especially afflicting poor citizens.[9] As the unique identity database comes into existence, the various identity databases (voter ID, passports, ration cards, licenses, fishing permits, border area id cards) that already exist in India are planned to be linked to it.[2] The Authority is liaising with various national, state and local government entities to begin this process. The Union Labor Ministry has offered its verified Employment Provident Fund (EPFO) database of 42 million citizens as the first database to be integrated into the unique ID system.[10] Other UID projects implemented on a smaller scale in India can also facilitate in the development of the national project. An example is a project developed by Wolf Frameworks Cloud Computing vendor and Social Education and Development Society (SEDS) for profiling and generating Unique Identification for more than 40,000 members in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.

There are also several criticism over it too. Here are a few mentioned in wikipedia:

There are many potential privacy fallouts of this project, not the least of which is triggered by the Government's official plan to link the databases together. The MNIC is also unconstitutional as it violates fundamental right to privacy. The right to privacy of citizens will be greatly compromised if MNICs are made compulsory. Although there is sometimes a tension between individual privacy rights and national security, international law and India’s domestic law expressly set a standard in tort law and through constitutional law to protect an individual’s privacy from unlawful invasion. Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), ratified by India, an individual’s right to privacy is protected from arbitrary or unlawful interference by the state. The Supreme Court also held the right to privacy to be implicit under article 21 of the Indian Constitution in Rajgopal v. State of Tamil Nadu. Moreover, India has enacted a number of laws that provide some protection for privacy. For example the Hindu Marriage Act, the Copyright Act, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and the Code of Criminal Procedure all place restrictions on the release of personal information. Privacy is a key concern with respect to the MNIC scheme as all of an individual’s personal information will be stored in one database where the possibility of corruption and exploitation of data is far greater than when having the information disbursed. Risks that arise from this centralisation include possible errors in the collection of information, recording of inaccurate data, corruption of data from anonymous sources, and unauthorised access to or disclosure of personal information.Other countries with national identification systems have confronted numerous problems with similar risks such as trading and selling of information, and India, which has no generally established data protection laws such as the U.S. Federal Privacy Statute or the European Directive on Data Protection, is ill-equipped to deal with such problems. The centralised nature of data collection inherent in the MNIC proposal only heightens the risk of misuse of personal information and therefore potentially violates privacy rights. In consideration of the risks involved in the creation of a centralized database of personal information, it is imperative that such a programme not be established without the proper mechanisms to ensure the security of each individual’s privacy rights. Unfortunately, India’s proposed MNIC programme lacks any provision for judicial review at the present time. Without credible and independent oversight, there is a risk of ‘mission creep’ for MNICs; the government may add features and additional data to the MNIC database bureaucratically and reflexively, without reevaluating the effects on privacy in each instance. Implementation.

You can check the wiki article for a better understanding: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unique_Identification_Authority_of_India Here is a link to Nandan's wikipedia page too though I am quite sure most of you know him. He was the successor to Narayan Murthy as CEO of Infosys though he left the position for the UIDAI project. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandan_Nilekani

[ViruRulez]

Please feel free to discuss and post latest updates about the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) project in this thread. This thread can be used as the all in one thread for all discussions and updates about UIDAI and related subjects.

[ViruRulez]

The official website of UIDAI is http://uidai.gov.in/ Just checked the website and there was a logo contest for the official UIDAI logo :woot: Maybe the ICFers with graphic abilities could have given a try. But on opening the pdf it seems the last date for submission of logo entries was Feb 28 :P

[ViruRulez]

UIDAI gets Rs 1900 crore budget allocation; Nilekani to head Technology Advisory Group The Union Budget for 2010-11 has given a fillip to the UID project by allocating Rs 1900 crore

One of India’s most ambitious projects, Unique Identification (UID)–where every Indian will be given a unique number–has received a huge boost with Dr Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of Finance, allocating Rs 1900 crore to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for 2010-11. The Finance minister said that the UIDAI is on track to issue the first set of UID numbers this year. The allocation of funds will help the UIDAI speed up execution, as it gets into the operational phase. The UID is the world’s largest biometric project, and is expected to usher in new opportunities for business for Indian IT companies. Industry body, Nasscom, has projected approximate revenues of USD 4 billion by 2015, due to the UID project. The government has also recognized the crucial role of technology in improving governance. Currently, IT projects like Tax Information Network, New Pension Scheme, National Treasury Management Agency, Expenditure Information Network, Goods and Service Tax, are in different stages of rollout. The Finance minister has proposed setting up a Technology Advisory Group for unique projects under the chairmanship of Nandan Nilekani to make these systems more effective and to look into various technological issues. The budget will also accelerate the thrust towards ‘Green IT.’ The budget has proposed creating a National Clean Energy Fund that will be used for funding research in innovative clean energy technologies. While green technologies such as virtualization and unified communications have found huge adoption among Indian companies, the creation of this fund can act as a catalyst to spur the development and adoption of new clean energy technologies.

[ViruRulez]

The Nandan Nilekani-headed Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has got 19 bids for its first information technology project, on application development services. Among those who applied are Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, HCL and IBM. “We are evaluating these firms and will soon shortlist some of them. The process should be completed by March-end or early April this year,” said a source from UIDAI. The body had extended the deadline for bidding for this project from February 24 to March 2. Meanwhile, professional services firm Ernst & Young bagged the contract from UIDAI to become consulting partner for the project. UIDAI was allocated Rs 120 crore in last year’s budget and saw its allocation increased by 16 times to Rs 1,900 crore for 2010-11. The first set of UIDs are to be issued between August 2010 and February 2011. Nilekani says the plan is to issue 600 million UIDs over the next five years. The Union Budget also announced the setting up of a Technology Advisory Group for Unique Projects, to be also headed by Nilekani. It will create IT projects in systems like the Tax Information Network, New Pension Scheme, National Treasury Management Agency, Expenditure Information Network and the Goods and Services Tax, all in different stages of rollout. The high interest of IT firms in the project is due to the immense opportunity ahead. Biometrics (which includes fingerprint, face and iris recognition) and computing power hold the keys to the UID project, which is estimated to offer a Rs 15,000-20,000 crore opportunity to computing, database, smartcard and storage vendors, besides system integrators. For every rupee of IT spending on the project, industry experts estimate, around 60 per cent of this will go to hardware vendors. UIDAI pegs its annual revenue potential, through both address verification and biometrics confirmation, at Rs 288 crore. It has identified three transaction types. The basic ID confirmation would be free, where the potential user agencies could be, for instance, the airlines which do passenger check-ins. The second type of transaction is that of ‘address verification’, which will cost Rs 5 each and can be levied by banks, for example, when users open accounts. The third one comprises ‘biometrics confirmation’, which will be charged Rs 10. Credit card companies are one variety of potential users.

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/uidai%5Cs-first-big-it-project-gets-19-bids/387465/

[ViruRulez]

A year of UID: Much more than a number

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), set up to issue a unique identification (UID) number to all 1.2 billion Indian residents, completes a year this month. “We will be issuing the first set of UIDs between August 2010 and February 2011,” asserts former Infosys co-chairman Nandan Nilekani, who now heads the UIDAI. It’s a little over six months since he took charge, and he expects to issue 600 million UIDs over the next five years. His team is being expanded; the headquarters is in Delhi and it has eight regional offices. During the 2009-10 budget, Rs 120 crore was allocated. The project is also breathing life into other areas. For instance, the human resource development ministry will take its help to introduce educational reforms. Foremost among its goals is to use UID to bring the over eight million “out of school” children into the education system. Nilekani was also recently asked to head a National Highways Authority of India panel to select a technology to unify toll plazas across the country.

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/a-yearuid-much-more-thannumber/386282/

[ViruRulez]

4G Identity Solutions Wins India Unique ID Devices Contract Leading ID Management Firm Supplying Biometric Devices to UIDAI

HYDERABAD, India--(BUSINESS WIRE)--4G Identity Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (“4G ID”) announced that it has won two bids to provide both fingerprint and iris recognition devices to the Unique Identification Authority of India (“UIDAI”) as it undertakes building the world’s largest national registry. These devices will be used in the UIDAI Proof of Concept (“PoC”) tests. The objective of the UID feasibility tests is to establish a definitive baseline for biometric data quality under Indian conditions. Subsequent to those tests, the devices and the data collected in the PoC will be used in the UIDAI’s biometrics Center of Competence. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has been set up by the Government of India with a mandate to issue a unique identification number to all 1.2 billion residents of India. A key requirement of the Unique ID system is to eliminate duplicate identities in order to improve the efficacy of service delivery under numerous federal and state programs. UIDAI has chosen to capture iris, fingerprint and facial biometric features as the primary mechanisms for ensuring uniqueness. In December 2009, UIDAI invited global bids for supply, installation and commissioning of biometric & fingerprint devices. Nineteen companies, including the largest Indian integrators and hardware producers, participated in the bidding process which 4G ID won. Dr. Sreeni Tripuraneni, the CEO of 4G ID, said "The size, diversity and nature of India’s population, and adverse field conditions each add unique challenges to achieving uniqueness through biometric features. We at 4G ID know this because of our substantial experience in large-scale biometrics in India. 4G ID is pleased to be able to offer the expertise it has gained in building the world’s largest biometric ID databases in India." India cannot leverage other countries’ experiences in designing the UIDAI’s biometrics systems and processes. Those experiences simply do not exist in terms of scale, diversity, and environmental conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to test devices and enrolment processes in various Indian environments. The UIDAI will use the biometric devices to establish a definitive baseline and answer three questions: What practices will result in the optimum quality of captured biometric information? What level of accuracy can be expected by using fingerprints, iris, and a combination of fingerprints and iris? How does this accuracy vary across certain demographic traits such as gender, age and occupation? About 4G Identity Solutions 4G ID is a leader in unique ID R&D, projects, products, solutions and consultancy. It is credited with the world’s largest citizen unique ID database, achieved with over 6.2 quadrillion matches in record two months; the world’s largest multi-modal end-to-end unique ID public welfare benefits management project; the world’s largest corporate ID system, India’s first criminal ID system with inter-connected local, regional and state-level databases, among others. 4G ID’s projects, solutions and products are engineered for country-level scalability, accuracy, availability, usability, flexibility, inter-operability, cost-effectiveness, security and speed. 4G ID is trusted by governments, corporations and international bodies.

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100309006046&newsLang=en

[ViruRulez]

BMC to undertake 'census' data to be used for unique I-cards

Mumbai: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday announced that it would undertake a population count of people living here for at least six months from May 1 to June 15. The BMC plans to use the data for the Nandan Nilekani- headed Unique Identification Authority of India project. "BMC officials will go door-to-door and take details of every family, identification proofs and their fingerprints," BMC Commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya told agency. "After June 15, a list would be put up in every ward across the city and the ward officer would act as the census officer," the Commissioner, who would act as the Principal Census Officer, said. Population count is conducted in the metropolis once in ten years. Over 18,000 BMC workers would be involved in this count, he said. Data would also be collected from MHADA societies, SRA buildings and slums across the city, he added.

http://www.zeenews.com/news608956.html

[ViruRulez]

Unique identification scheme for all in Mumbai, even those from Bangladesh

MUMBAI: All legitimate residents of Mumbai, including those from outside the state as well as country, would be eligible to get a number under the central government's Unique Identification (UID) Scheme, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Swadheen Kshatriya. He said the scheme would not discriminate between "insiders and outsiders". Kshatriya said on Friday that BMC would begin collecting information for the database from May 1. However, while all legal residents — including Bangladeshis — would be eligible for the UID card, the card would include information about a person's nationality and even domicile so that the UID cannot be misused to get benefits the person is not entitled to. The BMC chief is in charge of maintaining and upgrading the database for Mumbai on behalf of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

[ViruRulez]

Unique ID cards for 30 lakh in pilot project

HYDERABAD: Deputy Director General of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) VS Bhaskar said he was satisfied with the progress made by the unique identification process across the country. At Veluru in Medak district, a Proof of Concept (PoC) had been devised. Explaining, Bhaskar said, ``The PoC is aimed at evaluating the technical, operational and behavioural aspects of enrolling biometrics of the citizens. About 30,000 citizens would be enrolled with their biometrics in the PoC to observe the trend.’’ About 10 to 30 lakh citizens would be given unique ID cards by enrolling their biometrics in the pilot project that follows the PoC exercise. The UIDAI has chosen Hyderabad-based 4G Identity Solutions for evaluating and benchmarking the standards of the pilot projects, as well as the whole enrolment exercise. The project aims to improve the efficacy of service to the 1.2 billion citizens of India.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Unique+ID+cards+for+30+lakh+in+pilot+project&artid=GKr9FGMkSF4=&SectionID=xAV59odivTs=&MainSectionID=wIcBMLGbUJI=&SectionName=BUzPVSKuYv7MFxnS0yZ7ng==&SEO=

[yoda]

Like the idea but worried about ID theft and abuse. Not sure if our corrupt system can ensure it's integrity.

[suma25]

Like the idea but worried about ID theft and abuse. Not sure if our corrupt system can ensure it's integrity.

yea thats certainly a worry . but the project is headed by nandan nilenkani (infosys guy ).he is making sure there is no amt of duplication or corruption as far as possible

[ViruRulez]

yea thats certainly a worry . but the project is headed by nandan nilenkani (infosys guy ).he is making sure there is no amt of duplication or corruption as far as possible

agree.. I also am trusting this project mainly because of Nilekani .. he is a honest guy and had devoted his time for such a noble project even when he is a billionaire himself .. he is devoted towards his work it seems and I trust him a lot .. but yes it will only be known later if it is executed properly

[Roshanrocks]

good post

[ViruRulez]

Privacy will be protected under UIDs: Nilekani

NEW DELHI: Privacy will be protected under the Unique Identity (UID) project and personal data will not be accessible to everybody "We are also conscious of the privacy issue. In fact the UID database cannot be read by anybody. The only thing you can use it for is authentication. We are making all efforts technically and legally to see privacy is protected," Nilekani, a former Infosys co-founder, said in an interview. "At the same time we need a larger debate of privacy and what laws we need in the country. Today we don't have any privacy laws," said Nilekani who quit Infosys last year and was handpicked by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to head the authority. The first of these UIDs for India's billion plus citizens, says Nikelani, is expected to roll out any time between August 2010 and February 2011. In the just announced union budget, the government allotted an expenditure of Rs.19 billion (US$409 million) for the UID project. A number of Indian service providers and some multinational companies like Microsoft have said they would like to be involved in the project. Legal experts are sceptical about the protection of private data once the rollout of UID numbers begins towards the latter half of the year as they fear the number, which will be issued based on personal information given by a person, might be leaked to various other agencies. The centralised 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. "There may be a requirement for certain frameworks but we are cognisant of the issue of privacy and we are making sure of the design and in a way that when it is used, a person's personal details are not divulged," says Nilekani, who was last year in Time 100's list of World's Most Influential People. For the moment Nilkani maintains that opting for a UID number will be voluntary. However, over the years other agencies could well make it mandatory. "For a long time, many systems will allow both. But over time as more and more applications require UID for giving the service, people will have to get the number. The UID is a demand-led solution. We expect people to take the number because it is in their interest to do so," he says. "Some time in the future if some government service says UID is required, then it becomes essential. But that is many years down the road, only after government agencies give you adequate time to come on board."

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/infotech/software/Privacy-will-be-protected-under-UIDs-Nilekani/articleshow/5627097.cms

[ViruRulez]

Delhi govt to issue smart card having unique ID no.

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) A smart card, incorporating the much-talked about unique identity number, will be launched in the city next year to primarily help the poor and illiterate easily avail the benefits of various welfare schemes. The first of its kind project is being envisaged by the IT department of the city Government after it was found that benefits of various welfare schemes often do not reach the intended beneficiaries. Officials associated with the project said they wanted to incorporate the unique identity number to be issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India into the smart card to make it "more effective and foolproof." "Initially, we will issue five million cards having the Unique Identity Number," a top official told PTI. He said the team chosen for the project has been in touch with the Unique Identification Authority headed by IT czar Nandan Nilekani.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/555108_Delhi-govt-to-issue-smart-card-having-unique-ID-no-

[ViruRulez]

I also found a good slideshow on how Nilekani became a billionaire from zero wealth. Check this out if you want to know the basic steps. His family photos etc. also present in this slideshow. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshowpics/4705552.cms

[ViruRulez]

To issue first set of UIDs by Feb 2011: Nilekani

The Indian government is moving forward with its plans to provide its citizens with a Unique Identification (UID) number. The project involves biometric authentication behind the system, which will mean creating the world’s largest biometric database covering data of over 1 billion people. The project will be one of the most ambitious marketing exercises undertaken in India. The ambitious project to issue identity numbers to all Indian residents is now gathering pace. Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Nandan Nilekani is confident of rolling out the first unique ID's by February next year. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Nilekani spoke about the progress that has been made at the UIDAI. Here is a verbatim transcript of the interview. Also watch the accompanying video. Q: What is the progress being made at the UIDAI? A: We've selected Ernst & Young as our consultant and they are on board. We have signed a contract with them and they have started working with us on the RFP for the managed service provider, who is going to manage our database for us. We put out a tender for an application software developer. We gave the specifications of our software and that is in the process. Then we are working with our consultant, we are going to come out with a RFP for the final - you know the people are going to run the whole database. Then our proof of concepts have started. We are working in three states on checking out the details and actually how it's going to work. Details like how enrollment will happen, how we will capture finger prints, how we will capture the iris. So all that is being done. Q: What would it actually lead to in terms of savings for the government? Because I was reading somewhere that you know on account of what the government will just save on subsidies for LPG cylinders, it could amount to about Rs 1200 crore. That's how much is lost on account of duplication or fraud. What could the savings be? A: See it is difficult to put a number on this because it is not really us who is going to implement those savings. So savings depend on implementation. But if you look across the board, if you look at systems like the PDS, NREGA, kerosene subsidy, LPG subsidy, fertilizer subsidy and old age pensions. We have a whole gamut of social welfare programmes and subsidies. I think the savings will be fairly substantial. I can't put a number around it but it will be substantial. Q: There is this speculation that may be, perhaps even to the tune of about Rs 20,000 crore a year. Would that be a safe figure to work with? A: No I think, it is all theoretical and sort of all estimate oriented. But there is no reason why the savings cannot be fairly large. Q: I think yourself pointed out that this is only a identification number, lot will really depend on how the delivery mechanism is actually engineered to deal with this? How do you see things moving? A: We have started signing MOUs with state governments. Recently we signed our first MOU with the state of Madhya Pradesh, and that MOU is on our website. So that tells exactly what is the relationship between us and the state. We are signing with other states. So over the next quarter we are gone to signup with all the states. That's one aspect. Now we are also in discussions with the Ministry of Rural Development to make sure the NREGA tie up happens. We have had discussions with the food and civil supply's department on the PDS. But ultimately a lot of this is also at the state level, because the state runs the PDS, the state runs NREGA, state runs RSBY (Rashtriya Swastya Bima Yojana), the state runs old age pension. Q: The finance minister in his budget speech said that we would see the first numbers being rolled out anytime between August of this year or February next year. Do you now have a more specific timeline? A: That’s our commitment. Just to retrace a bit, the budget speech of FM last year in July 2009 had very clearly said that the first UIDs would roll out in 12-18 months. For us that clock started ticking on August 12. So 12-18 months from August 12, 2009 to August 2010 to February 2011. That is why those dates. So we are absolutely sure and we are very comfortable that we will issue the first set of UIDs before February 2011. Q: The pilot project is on track for June? A: Yes. But the thing is that a project of this size has a lot of implications. The biometric capture you need it to be efficient and high quality, how do you capture the iris, how do you verify people who don't have good documents and a lot of things to figure out. So we have to test these things out in the field. Q: What about the revenue generation model as far as the UID are concerned? A: We talked about this and the argument is that for basic authentication it should be free. But if people start using UID for address verification, suppose you go to a bank to open account and you give an address, the bank wants to verify that the address you have given to them is the same as on the UID master file. Then they can make a request to us and if we want for that something if they can pay for and also today the KYC process for opening an account or getting a mobile phone costs them anywhere from Rs 50-200. But more than the revenue thing it is putting accountability on us to have high quality data and that’s really more to create the feedback loop that the data is good quality. Q: Even though revenue generation is not what the purpose really is behind this project but what would it be, I understand it is going to be about Rs 300 crore annually? A: That is a guesstimate. In our draft approach we have put an estimate of Rs 288 crore. Q: Any technology company you would speak to whether it’s a domestic IT company or a global IT company everyone has the UID project on their minds and everyone is trying to get an appointment with you when they come from Microsoft to the CapGeminis of the world, what has really transpired in your conversation especially with the global It majors, how are they looking at this project at this point in time? A: This is one of the biggest projects happening in the world anywhere. The scale 1 billion people and the biometric. So I think there is a lot of excitement about that and I do get a lot of visitors from both India abroad. We have a very open policy. We share our roadmap with everyone. I went to Nasscom in February and laid out our plans, both me and my colleague Ramsevak Sharma went and spoke to them. We are having a big vendor conference in April where we are going to invite all potential suppliers of our ecosystem and we are laying out the roadmap as to what biometrics and enrolment are we going to do and what is the revenue side approximate. So this is a very transparent methodology where everyone knows what's happening and everyone is welcome to participate. We are saying these are the tenders that are going to come out and RFPs, you guys bid and let the best company win.

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/to-issue-first-setuids-by-feb-2011-nilekani_449820-3.html Here is video of the interview http://www.moneycontrol.com/video/business/to-issue-first-setuids-by-feb-2011-nilekani_449820.html

[nballa]

tough to implement. won't be easy, very difficult to implement. will be very hard.

[ViruRulez]

Bumping this thread as the first set of biometric cards were given to tribal villagers in Maharastra by Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi right now. News channels are showing it. It is one of the few projects that has started to be implemented within such a short period of time. Nandan Nilekani might be more deserving of the credit however. If this is implemented properly then it might be a revolutionary reform in India and help in transparency and security of the whole nation.