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DNA / Manan Kumar / Saturday, August 4, 2012 9:30 IST
Nandan Nilekani-headed Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has bitten the dust with the expenditure finance committee (EFC) overruling its objections and clearing the Union home ministry’s Resident Identity Card (RIC) for offline usage of applications in targeted social welfare schemes such as MNREGA.
In a meeting held on Thursday, the committee also cleared Rs 5,500 crore outlay for the RIC, thus removing all hurdles from the Registrar General of India’s way to launch the Union home ministry’s ambitious project to equip every usual resident of the country with a 64 kb micro-chip based card having biometrics features for security and authentication purposes.
The EFC’s decision comes in the wake of the view taken by a sub-committee headed by director general of National Informatics Centre (NIC) Dr B K Gairola that was given the task of examining if the proposed RIC, primarily meant to serve as a security tool, can also be used as a platform for multiple usages such as delivery of targeted services like MNREGA, public distribution system and health insurance (Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna), other financial purposes and for election purposes.
Many government departments claimed that in the Indian scenario where internet network is still not trustworthy and is totally absent in several huge patches of the hinterland, offline platform with the help of handheld devices is a better bet to ensure good delivery results.
Sources said the RGI will soon start the process of tendering for the RIC that will have Aadhaar number printed on it and would start giving it to the residents from March.
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kracktivist 
Aug 17, 2012 @ 11:56:08
Reaching for Aakash ?
Yes , Mr Prime Minister
You can deliver on your promises , by distributing Aakash2 tablets ( being developed by IIT- Bombay ) to 20 Crore Indians who have registered for Aadhar Identification so far
In your Independence Day speech , you made following promises – all of which can come true by employing latest software / apps , specified by IIT-B
Before distributing Aakash2 to 20 Crore Aadhar Card-Holders , just ensure that these tablets are integrated / pre-installed with :
“ Aadhar Identification Number “ of Nandan Nilekani
To fulfill your promise :
“ It will be our endeavour to ensure that all households benefit from bank accounts in the next 2 years. “
“ Mobile Wallet “ app of Sam Pitroda
To fulfill your promise :
“ We want to create a system in which money from Government schemes – pension for old people, scholarship for students and wages for labourers – can be credited directly into people’s bank accounts. This would reduce inconvenience to the beneficiaries, make it easy for them to receive payment and increase transparency. For this work, we will take help from the Aadhar scheme under which about 20 crore people have been registered so far. “
“ Educational Apps “ of Kapil Sibal ( installed on Aakash2 )
To fulfill your promise :
“ Now we will focus on improving the quality of education. In the next few months we will put in place a system of continuous assessment of the benefit our children are getting from teaching.
We want to create many new job opportunities for our youth in the coming years. To achieve this it is necessary that we train them in skills which our economy needs. It is our endeavour to put in place a system in which training facilities are available in many new skills.
“ My Jobs “ app [ freely downloadable from Google Play ]
To fulfill your promise :
“ I promise that we will work hard for creation of new employment opportunities for our young men and women living in villages and cities “
Mr Prime Minister ,
You have less than 18 months to fulfill your promises before 2014 National Elections
There is no time to waste !
And the best part is :
No need to pass a bill in the Parliament . No need to worry about “ Coalition Dharma “ !
With regards
hemen parekh
Jobs for All = Peace on Earth
Nov 28, 2012 @ 20:04:46
ITS a VERY good STEP i HIGhly thankful to CONGRESS govt