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

[Jeebesh]

dear Taha,

At present about 8 to 10 documents are used as some kind of prove of  
identity during elections or submitting court bails. This allows for a  
flexibility and movement at the level of daily life. This accretion  
has happened over time, and through complicated routes and breakers.  
Hyper Statist and modernist would like this situation to get  
rationalized into one number, one card system. Somewhat like a desire  
for one single language as a national language debate.

I am somewhat surprised by your exasperation at plurality of smart  
cards. To argue your case and to show my ridiculous arguments, you  
actually portray a brilliant image of total confusion and dissipation.  
Frankly that is far more interesting proposition than a successful  
implementation of UID.

Sometimes it is nice to live with bizarre and ridiculous ideas. It is  
an amulet against being swept away by the attraction of the cold  
behemoth that we all start to analyze and critique  and then slowly  
fall in love with and start getting exasperated with it's  
inconsistencies and incoherences.

warmly
jeebesh


On 27-Aug-09, at 1:53 PM, Taha Mehmood wrote:

> Dear Jeebesh,
>
> As you might have noticed that my argument keeps in mind underlying
> assumptions presented by the GOI in the press, before the inauguration
> of MNIC/UIDAI regime which points towards a multiplicity of identity
> documents and because of lack any interoperability mechanism, a
> perception of confusion of personal identification data was vigorously
> put forth. A need was subsequently expressed by the proponents of the
> MNIC card for a unified interoperable smart identity document.
>
> Therefore I was quite curious to read a news report which suggested a
> slight shift away from Government's earlier stated position. Now the
> GOI seems to be saying that it is okay to have multiple cards. Till
> date we do not know of explanations for this shift.
>
> My questions in the previous mail on this thread were addressed to
> understand this shift in the view of a previously expressed need of
> the GOI to do away with a range of individual identity documents.
>
> I hope that clears some air!
>
> However, please forgive me, but I did not understand your assertion  
> at all.
>
> As you put it- 'The present plurality of cards is beneficial to people
> and a smart card plurality will also help people negotiate the system
> better'
>
> I am sorry to say but I find this view, ridiculous and totally  
> bizzare!!
>
> Although I admit I may be completely wrong in interpreting what seems
> like a cogent argument, however my take is as follows-
>
> The GOI is comprised up of fifty Ministries, nine Commissions, two
> departments, one bureau and one directorate (
> http://goidirectory.nic.in/exe.htm ) Each Ministry and each Commission
> has its own set of employees. Each ministry is further divided into a
> number of departments.Then there are twenty eight provincial states
> and seven union territories. At the provincial level a government is
> made up of at least forty to sixty departments. This figure varies
> from state to state. The govt. of Rajasthan, for instance, has
> sixty-six departments (
> http://www.rajasthan.gov.in/external/website/showwebsitedepartment )
> Then we may add to a  number so obtained after summing up all the
> federal and provincial ministries, departments, a figure of- two
> hundred and thirty seven - which is the number of public sector
> undertakings of Central Government of India
> (http://dpe.nic.in/survey01/vol1/APENDIX3.pdf )
>
> If hypothetically every government department and ministry and
> commission and provincial government department and PSU's starts to
> issue its own smart cards pertaining to individual identification and
> do not care about interoperability then don't you think that this
> particular gesture on behalf of the GOI and other provincial
> governments would unnecessary escalate the cost of mapping the people
> of India many times over?
>
> Do you really think that it would be for the good of all and
> beneficial to all, were, the projected costs which are already
> touching close of 1.5 lakh crore rupees, to double or triple or
> quadruple in the course of this mindless exercise of heterogeneous
> distribution of smart cards?
>
> For some perhaps while expanding on a possible entanglement of
> plurality of cards with multiplicity of databases on individual
> identity and it's intended benefits to the people of India, one could
> perhaps point towards a forseability  of imagined fears, which comes
> with the idea of living in a database nation but the question then
> really is, Is it worth the money?
>
> For others, the idea seems to be clear, you may run but you cannot
> hide and I would be glad to go over any set of  arguments which you
> may want to suggest in this regard.
>
> Warm regards
>
> Taha