Manmohan singh invites Nandan Nilekani to head the National ID Project
By Aditya Mhatre at 23 June, 2009, 1:42 am
As promised, the UPA governement is going ahead with the National identity card project and are trying to the get the most influential mind to work on it. The project intends to provide each Indian with a National Identity card and replace the various kind of identiy cards that are currently being used like the ration card, passport and birth certificate.
Our PM, Manamohan Singh has invited Nandan Nilekani to be incharge of this intiative and has offered him a position of Cabinet Minister. I couldn’t find any clear cut answer whether Nandan Nilekani would be taking up this project or not but what has been clearly stated that this would not mean that he has any official connection with Congress and intention to enter active politics. The cabinet Miniter post has been offered to him since it carries special powers that would grant him independence in getting the National ID project done.
But I wonder if Nandan Nilekani’s appointment as the “Project Manager” would mean that Infosys would have a conflict of interest in the implementation for the project? Rs 100 crores have been already approved by the UPA geovernment to get the project started and more money will be pumped into this multi-year contract and am sure Infosys would like to get a piece of it.
My money is on Nandan Nilekani declining the offer citing personal reasons so that Infosys doesn’t get cut out off the deal but then If I were Nilekani, I would like to be the architect of this high profile project.
Update: Nandan Nilekeni has resigned from the Infosys Board and will he’s the National ID project.
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Request you all to highlight and support for its implementation.
Subject : Corruption - One-stop Proactive Inevitable Approach to
eradicate all Corruptions
Dear Sir,
During the last 60+ years, nothing has worked-out to stop the ongoing
Competitive Corruptions. This omnipresent & omnipotent corruption has
ultimately resulted into Government Deficit across India. In such situation,
Automation of monetary transactions is the last resort, which will make
people electronically & digitally responsible for what they give & take and
sell & purchase. It is time to change our stand from Postmortem approach of
investigations to Proactive Inevitable approach/controls, which no one could
penetrate under any circumstances. The followings *Proactive Inevitable
measures are suggested to eradicate Corruption* once for all :* *
1. The UID Card (being issued under Adhaar scheme) should be applicable
and issued to all citizen of India. The UID should have swiping facility,
like any Smart card /Debit/Credit. Merely distributing UID cards and linking
it with welfare programs/benefits or making any other policies cannot make
India free of corruption.
2. Every citizen should have bank account/s, which need to be linked with
the UID online.
3. Every citizen should be asked to deposit all their money in their bank
by a particular date.
4. All vendors, retailers, business dealers etc to have banks accounts and
deposit all their money in their banks. They also need to get configured
Card Swipe devices for fund-transfer by a particular date.
5. Now restrict the use of manual currency to a maximum amount Rs.100/-.
For all transactions (sale & purchase) above Rs.100/-, it will be mandatory
to swipe the UID card (like we do transaction through Debit/Credit card)
with biometric details for online verification. Thus people will have to
swipe the card for all their transactions (sale & purchase), which would add
online entries to one’s bank account/s with relevant remarks about the
nature & details of transactions. This way the fund will keep travelling
online from one account to other (from giver/purchasers to receiver/sellers)
with digital proofs.
6. The answer to why limit it to Rs.100/- is “people can carry petty cash
for small-time transactions e.g. local bus fares, and other small things”.
Going forward in 2nd phase, we can go for 100% online transaction to prevent
misuse. We can also go for SMS way of fund transfer with online verification
of biometric details.
7. In cities, most people already use their smart/debit/credit cards for
their routine transactions. We just have to modify / extend it to all,
making it mandatory thru UID.
8. The existing ways of on-line funds transfer and through cheque system
can continue as it is.
9. Now we need to develop/program the online system in such a way that the
online transactions are automatically & periodically monitored/reviewed and
any undue/irrelevant transaction immediately raise alarms to the Govt
Agencies without fail, which in turn can proactively take action against the
defaulter, who does not have any excuse for escape.
10. The UID Authority has to centrally set-up a 24hrs helpline to handle the
Citizen’s queries and the local administrations can be made responsible for
handling queries of lost cards and its re-issuance.
*Let’s start this exercise from major metros and side by side communicate
and build the required infrastructures in other cities and villages. Let’s
do it in phases and see its **magic effects **as under :- *
1. It would prevent people from freely indulging into any type of money
laundering.
2. It would stop evasion of TAX. Approx 60-80% of vendors, retailers,
small firms, black-marketeers, self-employed professionals, huge income from
rent/properties, etc do not pay tax. Thus Billions Crores rupees are not
accounted for tax, resulting into tax-hike for the actual tax-payers every
year.
3. It would stop evasion of STAMP DUTY on transaction like Land
Registration. Example - property sold at market price of 20 Lacs but
registry is made at circle rate for only 5 Lacs. Thus Billions Crores rupees
transactions escape stamp duty every day. It would stop the menace of Benami
Properties.
4. It would stop illegal storage of food-grains leading to enormous
price-hike, Fake Currency, Cash for Vote, “Sale & Purchase of Leaders &
Bureaucrats pre & post forming the Govts”, “Undue expenditure during
election in hope of making endless money after winning (from Pradhan, Block,
Municipal to MP & MLAs etc)”, Endless Dowry, Bribes for Jobs / transfers,
“Leaders / Bureacrats / Officials / Babus acting in proportion to bribe
received”, Rangdari Tax collected by local Mafias, “Illegal sale & purchase
of Govt land/properties/medicine/equipments etc”, Theft / Cheating /
Kidnapping / Terrorism (internal & external) / Outlaw extremists, Naxalites,
etc.
5. It would online capture & update, as soon as a BPL migrates to APL
status and the BPL benefits can automatically stop or vice-versa. The Govt
can online identify and help the real destitute/needy ones.
6. It would stop the omnipresent huge donations for admission and hefty
fees in Private Schools / Colleges, which restrict the quality education to
limited ones.
7. It would stop exploitation of Laborers & employees, Child Labour,
Bonded Labour etc.
8. The Govt can easily online block the cards of Terrorist (internal &
external) / Naxalites / Outlaws etc, sothat they do not do any transaction,
and are forced to surrender.
9. Everyone knows that Contractors give bribe to take contracts which
result into compromising with the quality of project and shutting officials’
mouth towards bad quality of the project. Due to its bad quality, most the
projects undergo repair-works many times within very short span, which
results into leakage of millions crores. Many of the contractors have to
give Rangdari Tax to local Mafia also. This would stop automatically.
10. It would stop the flow of Black money and reduce the disparity in income
and gap between rich & poor.
11. It would not allow people to use their looted money (lying in sacks &
Foreign Banks). It would also deter them from hiding their disproportionate
wealth.
12. As this will stop the flow / use of black money, the economy will boost
manifolds and the Govt can disburden the common men from unnecessary hike in
Tax & Price.
If we study carefully, 80% of our population is involved in some or other
sorts of corruption / manipulations / adulterations and the black money so
gathered has been giving rise to their purchasing power, resulting into Tax
and Price-hike for Common men. With the prevalent easy loop-holes, people
adopt corruption way to become millionaire in just few years. Most people
aspire / compete for MP/MLA/Pradhan/Panchayat, IPS/IAS/Babus and other
lucrative post in Govt & Corp, mainly with a view to make easy & quick money
through corruption/manipulations. As nothing proves them guilty for adequate
punishment, they keep on doing this at the cost of common men.
Everyone knows, what happened to these scams - Bofors Scam, Cattle
Taming Scam, Hawala Scam, Harshad Mehta Scam, Telecom Scam, Fodder
Scam, Ketan Parekh Scam, Barak Missile Deal Scam, Tehalka Scam, Taj
Corridor Scam, Telgi Scam, Oil in place of Grain Scam, UP Foodgrain
Scam, Cash for Vote Scam, Satyam Scam, Madhu Koda Scam, PF Scam,
Adarsh Society Scam, 2G Spectrum Scam, CWG Scam, other Land and high
profile scandals/scams. Millions of crore have gone into these scams;
then the Govts’ postmortem approach like investigations and prolonged
court proceedings have further eaten-up multi-crore, leaving the
common men with hefty tax & price hike. Venting our rage/despair
against corruption through Letters, RTI, news papers, TV Channels,
filing court cases have yielded abysmal results. Nothing has punished
the culprits to stop corruption for the next time.
UID supporting online monetary transaction is the only one-shot proactive
inevitable way to abolish corruption. Other schemes/methods are just
time-pass / eye-wash and do not have proactive inevitable features /
approach.
I had written a letter to Govt (President, PM & other leaders) initially in
June’2002 and sent its reminders thereafter on 26th Jan’04, 15th August’05,
15th August’07 and 26thJan’09. Again wrote afresh to Govt in February’2010
and sent through UPC. Further wrote emails to Govt & its stake-holders in
March’2010. Govt had implemented the first part of my suggestion in form of
UID. However, the vital suggestion of allowing monetary transactions through
use/swiping of UID is yet not considered. So I raised a PIL to Supreme Court
on 21st Dec’10 (through email and speed post no.EU85697923). Action is still
pending.
Like other policies, it too has challenges in its implementation. However,
it is a principally, technically, financially and practically doable
program. I have its complete plan ready and have solutions to all its
challenges/hiccups likely to be faced during its implementation. I do have
solutions for handling and channelizing the Corporate/Organizations’
transactions (non-individual) through similar UID scheme.
The corrupt ones will oppose it. This needs strong determination & will
power from Govt and relentless support from Public. It would be a sure-shot
success. I would like to participate in its debate and implementation. Please
contact me at bsr18170@gmail.com. .
There is no bigger issue than corruption. There is nothing more patriotic
than implementing the above and save the nation & its people.*
Kindly confirm your view and support on this. I am available for all further
clarifications.
Thanking you,
BSR (bsr18170@gmail.com)