Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is considering inducting Nandan Nilekani,Co-chairman of Infosys Technologies Ltd,Indias second largest software company,into his team. He will not have charge of any department or ministry,but will be offered the rank of a Cabinet Minister.
According to highly-placed sources,Nilekani is seen as best suited to guide the UPAs ambitious project to provide every Indian with a unique identity card. In its manifesto,the Congress had said this would be possible after the publication of the national population register in 2011. Besides addressing security concerns,the UID project will overhaul and direct the delivery mechanism for public goods and services to intended beneficiaries.
Nilekanis name had earlier been discussed as a member of the Planning Commission (with the rank of a Minister of State). But it is now felt that a project of the scale and magnitude of the UID requires a professional of the stature and calibre of Nilekani.
When contacted,Nilekani said he did not want to comment on this issue. I do not want to get into this, he told The Indian Express. But sources said he did discuss the project,and is agreeable to taking it on,given the opportunity.
He does not desire to be a union minister and handle departments or ministries,but he is open to implementing a national project of such magnitude and importance in a time-bound manner, a friend of Nilekani,who did not wish to be quoted,said.
A Cabinet Minister rank is seen as necessary to ensure Nilekani gets the necessary independence and authority to implement the project,especially since it will require immense coordination with the ministries of Home,Labour,Rural Development and Information Technology,besides the Planning Commission.
The first UPA government had on January 28 notified the Unique Identification Authority of India under the Planning Commission and provided Rs 100 crore in the Interim Budget to kickstart implementation of the project. The governance structure of the authority may be modified to enable Nilekani to take over its reins with a Cabinet Ministers rank.
Once implemented,the UID project will eliminate the need for multiple identification mechanisms. The permanent ID card will carry a unique number,photograph and biometric data. To begin with,it will be assigned to all voters by building on current electoral roll data,and to persons under 18 years to be added to the list.
