[Reader-list] UID CARD Doubts

[Shashidhar]

I stand corrected.... thanks...

-----Original Message-----
From: Taha Mehmood [mailto:2tahamehmood at googlemail.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 3:31 PM
To: Shashidhar
Cc: Bipin Trivedi; sarai-list
Subject: UID CARD Doubts

Dear Shashidhar,

You seem to me, like an outright apologist for UID, are you? or are you one
of those dudes who are paid to manage banter on virtual forums. You know
frankly, I am not bothered who you are. And I am terribly sorry if that
sounds offensive because I did not intend it to be so. I am just flattered
by the dexterity of your arguments  to sideline the core issue which
troubles the UID exercise. -If identity follows a fuzzy logic, then how can
one claim to define it-

And I am completely fascinated by your vision for UID and the good that it
can do. I hope you are right. I fear you may not be entirely so.

I was particularly struck by this comment of yours-

-I do not think people have greatly different notions about identity you ask
any one for his identity he will start by giving you his name, age,
education, place of origin, family tree, lineage, linguistic abilities,
hobbies, may be some caste and daba kuchla stuff.-

UID is reference point for services, that's fine but isn't that an effect,
in the sense that it can only act as a correct reference point for services
if and only if a correct notion of identity is defined.
What constitutes an individual identity? You tell me?


And I am glad you bought the money issue up. Because  I wonder why the man
himself, Mr. Nilekani that is, never gives any answer to the money question?
Why is he keeping mum on money?

He will give you his sexy smile if you want. I think he's got a sexy smile.
And he will give it you  but never an answer to the money question. Never.
No. He's is too smart for that. Isn't he. I wonder why? Then I wonder maybe
too much is at stake here. Maybe too many people needs to benefit. Maybe
money question will make the fuzziness of the core argument more bizzare.
Maybe it will make the hollowness of this exercise in mapping identity more
apparent.

I don't know why it is like it is but I would like to know why Mr.Nilekani
does not answer the money question. I also wonder how can we take a man, a
business man, a man driven by greed and profit, a man who has lived his life
on the idea of a -bottomline- out of his cushy chair and make a post for him
and give him a rank of cabinet minister.
I mean he would make the rest of the netas look like fools wouldn't he.

He never had to slog it out like other politicians. He never had to make any
promises to the janta. How can anyone give him the privilege and the power
of a cabinet minister? How can no one questions this? I mean, is it right?
Is the congress party giving a message to all of us, that from now on, we
can start imagining politicians as managers of public life rather than
leaders who can think about the good of all.

And you ask where I get my numbers from? Well thank you for asking.
Please allow me to respond. My data is based on two sources.

first is Hindu and the second one is TOI. If you remember, I have made prior
postings in this regard on the reader-list almost a year ago.

You may either refer here-
http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2009-July/021176.html

or here-
http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/2009-June/020498.html

And if you have any problems even after that, then why don't you ask the TOI
and Hindu if they are telling the truth and if they aren't then sue them for
God's sake, for lying to the public, spreading this misinformation campaign,
but before you get too worked up and you may, for you seem to be the
sensitive sorts, sensitive to UIDAI at least, let me ask you something,
please tell me, if in your view 'the UID have been promised some some 1900
crore this year' then why are all these news reports floating on the web-

Cisco Systems wants a piece of the action from India's multi billion dollar
Unique Identity (UID) project.
http://www.moneymint.in/business/tcs-cisco-google-yahoo-et-al-fighting-for-u
nique-identity-uid-project

The UID project, named "Aadhar", is estimated to cost some $2.2-$4.4 billion
to implement, but will bring in an equal amount in savings annually from the
elimination of duplicate and false identities, said Samiran Chakraborty,
head of research at Standard Chartered.
http://m.economictimes.com/PDAET/articleshow/5871470.cms

and so on and so forth, do you think these people have lost a sense of
balance? Why is it that Philips NxP is opening all these factories in India?
Why are the share prices of Bartronics and of TCS and of Mindtree and of
Infosys (Mr. Nailekani's abandoned child) rallying so much, don't you think
that something fuzzy is going on here, just like this whole identity
business?

Warm regards

Taha