[Reader-list] We need source-code whetting for India’s e-voting machines

[Taha Mehmood]

Now they are talking of mal-functioning e-voting machines.

The day is not far when they may talk about the bureaucrat,
politician, businessmen nexus about fraudulent  citizen ID cards in
the same manner.

Fingerprints may get fudged, the data may be lost. If Sania Mirza can
get a BPL card issued in her name then could a aam aadmi rest assured
that his name would not float in some data.

The capacity of sub-continental people to misrepresent is legendary.

Kasab's case tells us that. The National Database and Registration
Authority (NADRA) first fed his data and then possibly erased it.
Which could explain the confidence with which people denied his
nationality and citizenship.

If the data  is erased there is little one could do.

1.5 lakh is the figure.

And there no national or parliamentary debate on the efficacy of
national id cards. Possibly there will be none. Juxtapose 1.5 lakh
crore  to plan outlay on medical and public health by the central
government in 2008- 'The Plan outlay of the Department of Health &
Family Welfare (DoHFW) is Rs.15580 crores.'
http://indiabudget.nic.in/ub2008-09/eb/po.pdf

A mere TEN percent of what the GOI intends to spend on i-cards. So
what is the message here? what kind of security is more important?