My name is Kiran. I wish you all the best for the responsibility given to you. I think that the work alloted to you is the best possible way to bring changes in all aspects of our countries growth. It is and will be the best ever system planned and approved since independence.

May God be with you an guide you in the right directions to accomplish the things in time and with %100 accuracy which has not be achieved in any aspect of the countries growth.

As you have said that yours will be the last post in this blog. That’s good. But as the job you are going to accomplish needs peoples perspective. May be I am not that intelligent to tell you what to do. But I am one of the optimists who thinks that a change is possible in the things which are effecting the countries growth. I have always thought of the Unique Identity System for quit some time. But never expected that it can come true so quickly.

The end user knows his needs better than the one who helps him in getting his work done. I am not trying to make any comments. Just expecting some means to communicate with you just for sharing some ideas (as a end user of the product).

If possible let every one know the means to be in touch with you. If there some way then I am extremely sorry. Thank you.

All the Best…….

Regards
Kiran G

Congratulations on your appointment to UID.

1. I don’t see the world economy recovering anytime soon - but then I’m a pessimist. Also, the US is still sinking, though not as fast - and they’re the world’s engine still. On the other hand, India could do a lot better compared to developed nations. Though, in my opinion, that’s still short of the mark we need to hit.

2. Unconnected to this, could you give me an email id where I could send suggestions regarding the UID project? I’m a CA and the problems surfacing in the PAN card NSDL project pose both questions and opportunities for a major re-design of basic ID systems.

Get it done, no excuses, the new generation does not have the patience nor the willingness to keep on ‘adjusting’ to the environment they are surrounded by. This generation wants to adjust the ‘environment’ to suit their needs. Keep up, old babus.

Congratulations on taking up the lead on this excellent project and I think you took a very bold step in accepting this job leaving the comfort zone of Infosys.

I am sure you would be busy setting up a team and systems in place to deliver this massive project and I am sure you will already have the right people in mind to help you with it. However if you are looking for a Project Manager to help you in the initial stages of this project or in the future stages of this project, feel free to contact me and I would be delighted to join your team as I believe people like me who benefited from India but works and lives overseas should give something back to the country and its people.

I am an Overseas Citizen of India and currently work as a Project Manager in Manchester, England. I have an MBA from the University of Hull and I am PRINCE2 qualified. I also have experience of managing major EU Social Development Projects here in the UK.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Congrats again,

Anish (anishkurien (at) Gmail.com)

Congratulations on your new assignment on the Unique Id Project. I think this will bring enormous changes in our society if implemented properly. I have couple of suggestions as mentioned below.

This Unique ID database should capture following minimum information
1. Name
2. Address
3. Educational Qualifications
4. Photo
5. Biometric information
6. Some way to link his parents and children. So this unit of information is linked with another unit of information through family relations. (Linked List)

Following organization should implement an interface to UID database (which is maintained in a centralized/distributed server)
1. Bank/Financial House/Stock Market/Mutual Fund Company: All transactions should use UID. All big ticket financial transactions should be synchronized with central database once in a week. It should be possible to track all financial transactions done by one individual by providing UID of that person. This will be helpful for intelligence agency and Income Tax department.
2. UID should be provided for Railway/Flight ticket booking. This information can be synchronized with central UID information server. This information will help intelligence agency to track any person’s movement.
3. All registered organization in India should have access to UID information repository and should be able to retrieve minimal information about the user. (e.g. photo and home address) This will help to remove Fake UID card. For example if a person goes to buy a mobile connection, he cannot provide Fake ID because connection provider can immediately access central database through internet and can verify address and photo of the person. But all these organizations should not be able to access personal and financial information of individual. Only Tax and intelligence agency should be able to view all information.
4. Hospital/School/College/Passport/Ration Card/All other possible documentation (property docs, credit & debit card etc) should include this UID. This information should be synchronized with central server.
5. If a person shift to a different location then he should update his current address within 7 days. He should be able to do it online from some kiosk, police station upon biometric verifications.
6. In case person forgets his UID, it should be easily searchable by his name, date of birth and permanent home address.

Our intelligence agency should be able to retrieve following details from UID:
1) Bank and investment details
2) Passport and PAN details
3) Current address
4) Travel information (present and past)
5) School, college, educational info
6) Property information
7) Birth/Death information
Phone/Mobile details

How this will help
1. It will be impossible to escape tax net and corruption will be zero because all transactions will be tracked against UID and also it will not be possible to have duplicate UID because it can verified against central repository. If everybody starts paying tax, then tax burden on common man will decrease and also Government can use excess money on different type of developments.
2. Computer can generate automated alert for investigative agency based on certain criteria like big amount of financial transactions not matching to his salary, travelling to suspicious country. Intelligence agency can narrow down searches and monitor such individuals.
3. Because of biometric database, it will be easy to solve criminal case by searching finger print and other details in existing database.

I landed at this blog while trying to find your contact’s for a week. I have something to discuss on this project. This being not the right forum for the purpose, I request you to drop me an email. My email ID is registered with the website.

Thanks & Regards
Rajeev Madan

Let me first congratulate you on having been assigned by our respected PM as a lead to the UIDAI project. I believe that the journey has just started. To incorporate ideas at ministry level in India can truly be a point of impact, which can bring the change you’ve imagined for India. It might not happen in a year or two but I am sure that the confidence in your abilities to bring about a change will be your strength through out this journey. I decided to write to you not because of the fact that I’ve read your book and I liked (or disliked) it but because of the fact that when I heard the news that you’ll lead the massive UIDAI project, I felt that India is changing and the fact that I wanted to share my views on that. I haven’t got a chance to read your book so far.
I believe that this move by PM of India is a beginning of a political reform that India is keenly waiting to see in its political structure. I feel that there is a plenty of room for the intellects in today’s political structure of India.

I’ve seen the overview of your book on this site. To add a pragmatic impact to your idea of “encashing demographic dividend” , why not include people from our top institutions like IITs, IIMs, and NITs into the political stream, which emerges from the grass root level. Political parties should encourage India’s intellect and should set up a fair system to let them enter into the system. They can nurture candidates with their experience to be a part of India’s backbone, the political hierarchy . Why not start chapters in top institutions in India to foster the “gram panchayats” and instill in them the ideas and skills to drive the rural India. Those are just some of my views over scope of brains in the political system.

I also hope that you’ll take care of integrating this project with our passport services , revenue services and immigration services. This might help curb the terrorism and tax evasion, both of which are very well known problems in India.

I’ve read some of the critics of the book on this site and have felt disappointed in how some people have visualize the book’s theme. They ought to understand that it’s a beginning. We all know that there’s a lot of difference between theory and pragmatism. What India needs today is a start towards ideas that can instill a positive energy and hope in the thoughts of its masses. May be it’ll take some time to see the results but to progress there has to be a start.

Regards,
Amit

I have no suggestions yet :-). I am an Project/Program Manager in the IT Industry. With a hope and will to use my skills for the betterment of India in anyway I can. Will be more than happy to be a part of this grand project.

Regards,
Uday

I wish you All the best to fulfill the resposibility you have taken and succeed in it.

You were successfull in puting your ideas and imaginations on paper.Now its time for your action.

Immediatly after your announcement,I have seen some congratulations posts and flow of suggetions has started even before you took charge.

Unlike other government policies and decisions(which are taken by committees consisting of 2 to 3 persons),can you bring a ‘change’ this time,by publishing your plans and steps taken by the government to achieve the goal in an official government website.It can be opened for public discussion and opinions.In this way you can include a common man in your committee.

I hope atleast one such suggetions from common man will definetly be new and worth millions out of innumerable feedbacks/suggetions you recieve.

I am sure you will anyhow complete your assignment,but I hope you will do this with a change and be an idol for government.