Now, villagers of Gurrampeta, neighbouring Mohammedabad and J K Palli are thrilled with their new identity. But this was just an experiment. Convincing the policy makers to introduce the process on a permanent basis has proved to be more difficult. In fact, one officer wanted to know if the biometric device would work as well with work-worn hands as it did with his ‘soft’ fingers. ‘‘We showed him that the device worked with everyone —a villager working with machines in a factory, whose work-roughened palms were full of corns and those working in cement factories,’’ points out Kris. So, while he had convinced villagers that a unique ‘biometric’ citizen identity would dramatically change their lives, the greater challenge has been to convince the various state and district administrations.

The investment would be a mere Rs. 20,000 in every village for a battery-run biometric device in conjunction with a suitable software that can register citizens uniquely, avoid duplication, create a data base of citizens and permit online transfer of information for the district and state administrations to view online. Kris is still waiting with crossed fingers for the first invitation to a village in India for implementing the project.

Students’ search ends here

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Divya Sama - Mumbai

Now worried Indian students won’t have to splurge money on career counselors or believe certain money making institutions who sell the quality of their education through marketing not literally by their success stories. Thanks to studentindia.com, a web portal created by Rashmikant Mahapatra (35) of Mumbai that won Manthan award 2006 for

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