[Reader-list] Smart cards for ESIC beneficiaries launched-210

[Jeebesh]

dear Taha,

Could not follow your argument here.

Are you saying that State should insist on only one number, one card  
per person and that should integrate all data? Why do you say so.

The present plurality of cards is beneficial to people and a smart  
card plurality will also help people negotiate the system better.

no?

warmly
jeebesh

On 27-Aug-09, at 2:58 AM, Taha Mehmood wrote:

> Dear All
>
> That a government often behaves like a many headed-hydra is nothing
> new but what's amusing about government of India is that, it is
> behaving like a blind many headed hydra!
>
> We all know that UIDAI is set in place. We all know that Nandu, the
> plumber, is doing his job. We also know that MNIC will be distributed
> soon.
>
> The argument for ONE SMART NATIONAL IDENTITY CARD was that there are
> too many paper identity documents and it is confusing to keep a track
> of all of them. Therefore uncles running the show thought that for the
> good of all there should be ONE smart card.
>
> Why then, the other day, Union Minister for Employment and Labour, M.
> Mallikarjun Kharge was seen attending a inauguration ceremony in
> Bangalore?  Apparently this ceremony was held for the eventual
> distribution of  2.4 crore cards to 1.2 crore people whose name come
> under the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) databases.
>
> Why can't Nandu, pick up a phone and give a call to Kharge and say,
> 'Hang on Dude!! What you doing here...this is MY job. I am the plumber
> here!!! NOT YOU.'
>
> Why can't Nandu, the plumber, say to Kharge, 'Man!! let me just
> complete the merge and purge exercise. Let me just give the numbers
> first then let RGI distribute MNIC. We will then add your data on our
> chip. After all we are going to spend 1.5lakh crore rupees for this
> exercise.'
>
> No! Nandu, the plumber, will not do it. Why because he is part of a
> blind many-headed hydra. I can bet he doesn't even know what his own
> cabinet colleague Kharge was doing in Bangalore the other day.
>
> So actually we are going to have at least 20-25 smart cards in near
> future. Every ministry will insist that the consumer/citizen produce
> cards issued by its ministry and will not recognize cards by any other
> ministry. Interoperability will remain an interesting idea....
>
> Why can't there be a blanket ban on all Ministries of GOI and all
> State Ministries all over the Country to not to issues any identity
> documents till such time Nandu, the plumber, is over with his task?
>
> Why can't then RGI be called in to distribute one card in a
> systematic, time bound manner?
>
> Why can this systematic and ugly abuse of public money in the name of
> documenting individual identity be stopped right away?
>
> Please read the story below for more.
>
> Warm regards
>
> Taha
>
> http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/article9206.ece
>
> Smart cards for ESIC beneficiaries launched
> Special Correspondent
>
> The first set of Pehchan smart cards were distributed to beneficiaries
> of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in Bangalore on
> Tuesday by Union Minister for Employment and Labour, M. Mallikarjun
> Kharge.
>
> The smart cards entitle the insured person and his/ her family to step
> into any ESI dispensary, hospital or branch office of the ESIC across
> the country and avail themselves of the facilities and services in a
> hassle-free manner.
>
> Mr. Kharge said the Pehchan smart cards, which will replace the
> existing paper-based identity cards, will be distributed to 1.2 crore
> workers and their families covered under the ESIC across India in due
> course of time.
>
> “One smart card will be given to the insured person and another to his
> or her family. Around 2.4 crore cards will be prepared under the
> project and the total number of beneficiaries will be around 6 crore,”
> he added.
>
> The issue of smart cards is part of the ESIC’s Information Technology
> Roll Out Plan named “Project Panchdeep,” touted as the country’s
> largest e-governance scheme. The project entrusted to Wipro
> Technologies envisages the development of necessary hardware and
> software networking for country-wide implementation by August 2010.
>
> Mr. Kharge said the smart card will have the photograph of the insured
> person, besides the medical history. All ESIC outlets that will be
> networked, will contain personal details and medical history of the
> insured persons and their family members. “There will be no scope for
> misuse of the facilities by producing bogus bills,” he said.
>
> Director-General of ESIC, S.K. Srivatsava, said the Corporation had a
> huge infrastructure comprising 144 hospitals, 42 hospital annexes,
> 1,397 ESI dispensaries, 1,753 panel clinics, 795 Branch and Pay
> offices, besides 51 regional, sub-regional and divisional offices.
> “Often, an employee needs to go out of town on work. He can carry his
> Pehchan smart card with him and leave the one issued to his family
> with his folks
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