Welcome to Indian politics Mr Nilekani!
Nandan Nilekani has just resigned after 30 eventful years at Infosys and guess what? He’s to become a cabinet minister for the Unique Identification Number project, something vaguely on the lines of the Social Security Number that the US gives to its citizens. With a SS number, a citizen of the US can gather a host of benefits from the government like pensions, retirement benefits, savings and even daily meals.
The US government makes sure that none of its citizens fall below the poverty line, and the social security number adds to the huge governmental initiatives in America. So, India, the next in line to become a huge superpower, has toed the line and will initiate its own UIN project, whereby citizens will be given unique identification numbers that will reflect on their identities.
And the government has roped in none other than Nandan Nilekani for the ambitious project. So Mr Nilikani will leave the safe havens of Infosys and badger on in the uncertain world of Indian politics.
Personally, I feel the UIN project in India is a bit premature. We have so many people living below the poverty line, that to involve them all will come as a huge burden on the tax payer and the government will incur some heavy losses just getting the system in place. So, when are we going to stop imitating the US and evolve some policies suitable for the Indians, by the Indians and for the Indians? We have our own indigenous brains, economic, social and policital, so why just blindly ape the West?
The UIN project is good for the minority urban population but will do nothing for the ‘aam aadmi’. If you have a PAN card, a ration card, a passport, a voter’s ID card, why do you need another card to establish your identity? Or are we suffering from such a huge identity crisis that only more and more cards will reduce our sufferings?
Neha Singh
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