Dear Sir/Madam, Thanks for the acknowledgement.
In this context let me draw your attention to the following news item, appended below, bringing out the fact that in a pilot(!) project covering 2.66 lakh people only 52,238 UIDs could be generated - i.e. less than one-fifth of the total number attempted. If true, this is something too serious to be overlooked. It would imply that a huge amount of money is just going to go down the drain, even if we for the moment forget our other serious concerns. And this is nothing too extraordinary given the fact that the project has been launched without any feasibility study having been carried out. That should be the most minimum prerequisite before launching any programme, that too of this mammoth size and without any precedence. Hope the Standing Committee will take this up for due consideration. Thanking you, Yours sincerely Sukla Sen, EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity), Mumbai http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-22/bangalore/28624454_1_pilot-project-bank-account-biometric Pilot project yielded few UIDs TNN,Feb 22, 2011, 12.08am IST Though the department conducted proof-of-concept (pilot project) on over 2.66 lakh people in Mysore and Tumkur districts, only 52,238 UIDs could be generated. "This was to test the fingerprint scanner, biometric devices and other technology, as older people have rough hands. The software responded well for both categories of people," sources added. USES OF AADHAAR Aadhaar will be linked to citizens' demographic and biometric information, which they can use to identify themselves anywhere in the country and to access a host of benefits and services. It would be a basis for building multiple services and applications, while facilitating greater connectivity to markets. Banks can link the unique number to a bank account for every resident, and use the online identity authentication to allow residents to access the account from anywhere in the country. On 14/02/2011, Lok Sabha <[email protected]> wrote: > > Shri Sukla Sen > > Thank you for your views. > > Standing Committee on Finance Branch > Lok Sabha Secretariat > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Sukla Sen <[email protected]> > Date: Monday, February 14, 2011 3:47 pm > Subject: Representation to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance > on the National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010 > To: Lok Sabha <[email protected]> > > > To > The Secretary, > The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, > New Delhi > <[email protected]> > > > Sir, > > > I have come to understand that the draft National Identification Authority > of India (NIA) Bill is currently under your consideration and it is being > deliberated by the Standing Committee. > This Bill, as we know, seeks to constitute a statutory authority to be > called the National Identification Authority of India (NIAI) and lay down > its powers and functions, besides the framework for issuing unique identity > (UID) numbers to be known as Aadhaar numbers. And this Aadhar project is > designed to deeply impact the lives of 1.2 billion Indian residents. > Given the immense importance of the project, I, as a concerned citizen of > India, will like to present my following misgivings about the project for > your due consideration in the process of deliberating the draft Bill, which > will provide legislative sanction to the subject project, and formulating > your recommendations. > > > 1. As I understand, this mammoth project, aimed at covering 1.2 billion > Indian residents, has been launched without any feasibility study carried > out and any such report having been prepared and presented to the Indian > parliament let alone putting it in the public domain for sharing of views. > > > 2. I also understand that the project, the final cost of which is going to > be exceedingly high - maybe a whopping Rs. 150,000 crore as per a figure > quoted by the Times of India, has been launched without any cost-benefit > analysis and comparisons with other available/feasible options. No such > report has been presented to the Indian parliament let alone putting it in > the public domain for sharing of views. > > > 3. There are also serious apprehensions about the data safety - who get to > access the individual data, legitimately or illegitimately, and to what uses > these could be put. > > > 4. There are also serious apprehensions about state surveillance and > profiling of individual citizens and specific groups or communities. > > > Hope you will do your best to ensure that the legislative stamp of approval > on the Aadhar project in terms of the enactment of the NIA Bill will be > provided only after presentation and widespread deliberations of a > feasibility report and cost-benefit analysis. You'll also ensure that the > misgivings as listed in points 3 & 4 above are fully clarified and > adequately addressed during the deliberations conducted by you. > > > I'll be highly obliged if you kindly acknowledge this missive. > > > Thanking you, > > > Yours sincerely > Sukla Sen, EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity), > Mumbai > 14 02 2011 > > -- > Peace Is Doable > -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. 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