[Reader-list] UID Cards

[Taha Mehmood]

Dear Rakesh,

Thank you for posting this Tehelka write-up by Tusha Mittal on cards.

I think for all of us on the reader-list who are following the ID card
story, there is nothing too novel about the views which are expressed
in this particular write up. We all know the various landmarks now,
Kargil-MNIC- Pilot Project- Survey-Murshidabad- Pooth Khurd. The
script to narrate the idea of NIC is being repeated all too often now.
What is new perhaps is the way in which, somebody like Aruna Roy
interprets the ID card exercise “This could help identify Hindus,
Muslims, and Christians, and lead to communal violence,” says social
activist Aruna Roy. To take this line of thinking further, could we
allow ourselves to think that ID card will perpetuate casteism in
India.

Take an example, a company which has previously had a substantial
number of employees from a particular high caste group suddenly
discovers, thanks to a National ID card, that of the total number of
new entrants to the organization about twenty percent belong to the so
called scheduled castes group (who got access to education thanks to
rigorous pursuance of affirmative action policies of the government
which was again based on identification and therefore relied on a NIC
). I wonder, how would the HR team composed lets say of high caste
people react to this phenomena or for that matter how would the top
management respond when told that demographics of employees is showing
a shift towards a possibility of a creation of a new social network of
'low caste people' ?

If identity based on NIC can give social mobility to the 'poor' and
'under privileged'  sections of our society then can it not become a
hindrance too, for their possible inclusion in to established social
networks?

Warm regards

Taha