“We will work in partnership with existing card issuers. I will provide a common set of standards for identity to all partners — who could be government agencies, banks, and even the private sector,” said Nilekani whose personal wealth is estimated at $1.3 billion.

“I always thought information infrastructure is as important as physical infrastructure. It will bring huge consequential set of benefits, in terms of larger financial inclusion, better targeting of subsidies, etc,” he said. The project will capture personal data of all citizens and eventually revolutionise the way the government transacts its business — be it the country’s internal security or the public delivery systems.

The project will eventually eliminate the need for multiple identification mechanisms and will remove hassles relating to proof of identify when it comes to say, opening a bank account, getting a telephone connection, paying taxes, casting vote and claiming benefits from government schemes. If Nilekani does deliver a world-class system that will capture biometric data of a citizen besides his/ her photograph and personal details, various central ministries can decide whether they can use this platform to meet their requirements, said Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Wipro, a leading software company, is officially consulting the government on the ID project. It is helping the government in programming the software and creating the national database. The government-owned National Informatics Centre can handle the software post coding and also handle the database.

“We are glad that an extraordinary individual like Nandan has got an opportunity to add value to India through this position. As a company that has always put the interest of society ahead of itself, Infosys will accept his absence with a sense of duty to a larger cause,” Infosys Chairman and Mentor N R Narayana Murthy said.

... contd.