Nandan Nilekani Resigns from Infosys To Head Government Project

Replies

• 

  durga ch

  arent passport numbers unique numbers?
• 

  Saandeep Sreerambatla

  I guess this number is something like Social Security number.
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  ms_cs

  The_Big_K

  Voa! 😲
  
  Infosys co-founder, Nandan Nilekani has resigned from Infosys board to head a government project - providing unique identification numbers to citizens of India.
  
  The resignation will be effective from July 9[sup]th[/sup], 2009.
  
  What say you? 😀

  oh! I have missed 'Unique Identification Number' project news.,,I want to know more about this scheme
• 

  Ashraf HZ

  durga

  arent passport numbers unique numbers?

  If I'm not mistaken, passports are issued whenever a person wishes to go overseas. Its not a compulsory document to have on you when you travel within you own country.
  
  I think more info of the card is here:
  #-Link-Snipped-#
  
  What current identification documents do you guys carry around at the moment, or use to apply for services?
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  durga ch

  ah! 😁 That was pretty informative. Its some thing like a citizen number .
  Anyways, are there any contenders for this role in Infy?
• 

  Kaustubh Katdare

  @ Ash - yep you are right. The project (from what I've heard so far) is about creating SSN for all Indian citizens.
  
  I'm not sure if this project really requires Mr. Nandan Nilekani. Is it really 'that' complicated? 😁 I guess we, on CrazyEngineers could have taken up the project.
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  Ashraf HZ

  Well, in Malaysia, we are required to carry those kinds of smart cards around. Failure to do so would result in fines of up to $5000 and/or jail sentence 😉
  
  For India's case, its not merely generating unique numbers. The complication lies with tying it up with various different types of databases and services (mostly e-government I suppose). So as with it's namesake, this card can be used for multiple uses.. and could theoretically speed things up like applications and what not. And last but not least, security is a big issue that has to be overcome.
  
  I guess thats why Malaysia's hefty fines would discourage us from being careless with our ID cards 😛
• 

  shalini_goel14

  If I would have been at his place - I would have surely gone for some NGO with all my earned money.
  * I don't understand why everyone don't see the other side of their country * Are they all blind or don't want to see? 😐
  
  PS: Regarding SSN, I guess we all get even without him also. Now what special he is going to do in that ?
• 

  safwan

  my first qestion : look at our indian population ?(i mean it is impossible to count even we count but still their will be double counting or some errore)
  second :what does this project gona help us?
  third :if it is not so important then why cant we use this mony in educatons or social servecis.
  😎
• 

  shalini_goel14

  FYI,
  
  The special thing he is going to do is "Biometric Unique Social Identification cards"
  Check this Declined offer to join plan panel in early June - Times of India
• 

  ms_cs

  shalini_goel14

  FYI,
  
  The special thing he is going to do is "Biometric Unique Social Identification cards"
  Check this Declined offer to join plan panel in early June - Times of India

  Seems That biometric ID cards is good idea,and It will help prevent counterfeiting..
• 

  Anil Jain

  Aren't we going off the topic...
  
  We are not discussing ID Cards or unique identifications... we were supposed to discuss decision of Nandan Nilekani.
  
  -CB
• 

  ms_cs

  crazyboy

  Aren't we going off the topic...
  
  We are not discussing ID Cards or unique identifications... we were supposed to discuss decision of Nandan Nilekani.
  
  -CB

  No😎 we are not
• 

  Ashraf HZ

  Still nandan related 😛 I feel its a great career shift for him.
  
  biometric ID cards mean your biodata will be embedded in the card by the way.
  
  I think its a great opportunity for him, bringing a corporate perspective in a government project. New challenges, etc. Being the head of a very large project like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
  
  Once Indians get these kinds of cards, it close the digital divide among Indian communities. Introducing a technology like this will cascade other electronic services and products.. and so on. Government tenders also allow the private sector to implement technology that would have otherwise remained in the dark or limited in numbers.
  
  There are two things to look at. One, its the unique citizen numbers and secondly, the fact that these cards have chips in them.
  
  Unique citizen numbers are mostly beneficial for administrative purposes, allowing other services and sectors to quickly identify and verify citizens, and so on. Linking to other databases would be a breeze and speed processes up. Just basically the macro implementation of the ID numbers we have at college 😀
  
  Secondly, the chip. Biometric data can be stored easily on this with sufficient encryption. Other info can be stored on it as well. If the card has RFID features, then it will be multipurpose.
  
  Why I'm saying all this is because my country can be a case study (for the 2nd part anyway. Unique ID's had existed before I was born, so I cannot testify what before/after effect it had). Malaysia introduced smart cards like this a few years back, and it accelerated the adaption of electronic services of the government. Now we have things like smart passports too. Believe me, its a lot better than how it was before.
  
  This project is probably a stepping stone of moving the whole of India along with the progress of technology. The technology exists, but I dont think everyone appreciates or even realises how it can benefit them.. especially in the rural parts.
  
  So as an engineer, I'm glad that other countries are implementing this type of technology for their citizens. Its not a small feat at all! Technology, as we know, is not a one stop thing.. it spawns a host of other tech. Computers for example is just hardware on its own.. but as a consequence, we have the rise of inter networks and online services.
  
  Expect great potential things to happen once this project kicks of. With Nandan's expertise, he'll be able to maximize the adoption and benefits of this project.
• 

  Anil Jain

  What Nilekani, and the new ID system, will do - Rediff.com Business
  
  A small article for rediff.com
  
  -CB
• 

  thisisananth

  I think it is good. You might feel that implementing it is not a problem. The technical details are easy but there are lot of logistic problems in its implementation. It has to be seen how Nandan Nilekani overcomes them to deliver it successfully. India-wide reach and dynamic updation look like big challenges to me now.
  
  And I think the real value of this project will be delivered when this number is used in all the other services provided by the government, if this will help in efficient distribution of government funds. If it can be issued for every citizen and if it will be used in every transaction we make such that people without that cannot survive (which will very very easily weed out terrorists and illegal migrats) then Nilekani would have delivered on his promise.