[Reader-list] Delay breeds corruption, EPIC cards and corruption, role of election commission in breeding corruption.

[Taha Mehmood]

Dear Rajen

Thank you for taking the trouble of articulating your experiences with
regards to EPIC and writing a detail post. I think for all us in India, it
is a matter of utmost concern to not only make our voices heard but also
actively debate about the ongoing proposal of the central government to
introduce the national identity card. You point out the malaise of kickbacks
and so on while procuring an EPIC card.

One of my point of concern has been with logistics of carrying out NID
exercise. All the state literature, policy papers etc has tried to sell the
idea of MNIC since last ten years. Which, to some, may look like a glorified
PR exercise.

Why is it that of all the  political parties, the BJP is so interested in
this issue, while others have remained mum?  I think amongst the BJP's
politicians, I have observed Prakesh Jadveker voice the need for a national
identity card, the maximum number of times, I wonder why the BJP, which is
otherwise so quick to ask for a debate on issues of grave national
importance is not even hinting for a dialogue on this most crucial
citizenship document, which is a matter of concern to all Indians.

In the similar vein, I find it extremely curious to find Preity Zinta talk
about MNIC on various public platforms. She has voiced her concerns on at
least three occasions in last three years, which makes it all the more
intriguing. Because if she is so convinced about the curative powers of MNIC
that past three years, she has not changed her position and if she believes
that such a technology would benefit an entire nation then, surely like any
responsible citizen, she must have critically looked at some literature on
identity cards which must have convinced her totally. What I find ironical
is that- any critical literature on identity documents is bound to inform us
about the untenability of such a document. Because conceptually the issue of
individual identity is unresolved.

Therefore I wonder, Why is it that of all the bollywood starlets, she is the
sole one voicing a concern about the need to introduce MNIC?  Whose
interests is she representing? Whose voice is she airing?

Arguments like illegal immigration will be curbed, PDS will be distributed
swiftly, efficiently etc has been doled by politicians and state departments
of all hues to make a case for a technology which is shrouded in fundamental
conceptual mystery.

 I think it is a matter of utmost importance for us to press for a dialogue
and a public debate on this issue. EPIC was introduced in early nineties.
Before EPIC voter ID cards were manual documents. The argument for EPIC was
similar to the one which is peddled for MINC, that with a photo it would
easier to find a bogus voter and so on, like with MNIC, the government
officials claim that it would help weed out citizen from a non citizen. This
claim is far more easier said than done. Because in order to distribute a
MNIC card, one has to establish beyond the pale of reasonable doubt that a
person is eligible to be a citizen; in order to do so, one has to identify
the person as that particular person. Now there are a lot of people out
there who will have fake identity documents, who will filter through this
bureaucratic maze, like there would perhaps hundreds of thousands of real
Indians who will not have the requisite papers to authenticate a claim that
they are in fact who the say they are.

In such a condition, I do not know how viable or valid would the
introduction of a new technology would be? On the other hand, when we know
that the election commission of India has, after eighteen years  since the
introduction of EPIC, bought a little over a two thirds of eligible voters
into the fold of legibility, then I don't understand, why cannot the
responsibility of validating the citizenship of our entire nation, be not
given to EC?

 Why is there so much of haste to commit and distribute public monies of the
tune of hundreds of thousands of crores to these chip manufacturing
companies?

I think, we need more public dialogue on this issue.

Would we not, for instance, benefit as aware citizens, if we were know the
nature of the networks which exists between the bureaucracy, business
houses, technology related media and politicians? Are these invisible
networks not pushing for policy, for contracts, and for the re-distribution
of public monies in the name of peddling plastic tokens of citizenship?

Regards

Taha