[Reader-list] cost of the NIC, national wastage system.

[Taha Mehmood]

Dear Rajen

Thank you for sharing that anecdote, however I am not sure what does
the bogey of 'Good governance' means? Could we make a model of what
the people did in that village and replicate it in the rest of the
country? Would that be possible? Would the people of that village face
no problem in future? Would they rely on their experience of coming
together in every other eventuality?

 Political parties have their own strategies for governance or maybe
it is just about coming to power. If Congress's claim to power is
rooted in history, family etc. The BJP, as Prof. Yogender Yadav
pointed out in a TV debate few days ago, uses Hindutva, as a strategy
to tweak a space and then starts building a perception of 'efficient
administration'.

That apart, I find it amusing, that while in so-called mature
democracies, there are indications that  debates around the national
identity card is not just being being articulated in either
'down-down' infringement of privacy language or in kneeling- down- in-
blind- awe- in- presence- of- technology argument. Especially the
latter argument is picked up people , whom  Mr.Modi prefers to calls
as 'News Traders' ( I love the phrase and I have to give it to him for
 sounding sensible, perhaps for the first time in his entire public
innings)

The columnists at Guardian, it seems, are upping the ante in favor of
an argument about public costs of introducing a national identity
card, which is very very relevant even to India too.

Do we really and I mean REALLY need this token of national citizenship
at the cost of scrapping all those preexisting tokens? I do not
understand the rational, given by both the NDA and UPA governments?

You might have noticed that in a forward to the reader list (MNIC:
Parliament questions -8), in reply to the question asked in Lok Sabha,
related to the, MINISTRY OF LAW , JUSTICE AND COMPANY AFFAIRS,
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO  660,  ANSWERED ON   27.07.2000

The Minister categorically asserts, 'It is not possible to cover all
the electors under the scheme of issue of I. Cards at any given point
of time.'. Furthermore he says, 'A sum of Rs.419,45,61,710/- has been
released by the Central Government to the States/Union territories
specifically for expenditure on the scheme of electors` Photo Identity
Cards between
1994-95 and 1999-2000.'

My point being, if the experience of administration and governance
shows us that we cannot distribute identity cards to all Indians and
that even if we do then we can do it at price which is just 500
crores, why do many people in India, seem to desire a digital card so
badly?

When I attended the smart card exposition at pragati maidain, back in
2006, I was part of the audience  listening very intently to a panel
comprising of  representatives of Philips NXP division. Now NXP is one
of the key companies in the national identity card game. World wide,
they have emerged as the largest player. The discussion was whether to
make MNIC a contact  card or a contact less card. Towards the end of
the discussion, it was decided to urge members of GOI to make
'appropriate policy adjustments' for a contactless card. The bearing
on price was significant. The projected numbers swelled from a mere
5000 crores to 25-27000 crores. A voter id card just costs 500 crores
only.

I wonder, do we really, REALLY, need to make room for this much amount
of money? Why is the GOI not thinking of upgrading the existing
technology, if they need a national database so badly?  When there are
no reports anywhere in the world which conclusively prove that a
national identity card helps weed out illegal immigrants. Why the need
for a completely untested technology? Why are we fed this technology
led propaganda? I do not understand it at all. There seems to be no
reason here but only a whim. Toys for the Boys sort of a syndrome.

You tell me Rajen, would the presence of a MNIC card in that small
village in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka State, helped those
poor illiterate people in any way to secure a more just
re-distribution of  public money? Would it have ensured, that now that
they can prove to the world that they are Indian Citizens, they are
able to get what is legitimately entitled? And most importantly, would
the state have obliged, Justly?

I have my doubts.

Regards

Taha