E-Governance News: 18/12/09

UNIQUE ID BODY INVITES PROPOSALS FROM CONSULTANTS
New Delhi
The Hindu Business Line

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has invited proposals from consulting firms for services pertaining to the setting up of Central ID Data Repository (CIDR) and selection of managed service provider.

In effect, the move is the first step towards the creation of back-end IT infrastructure for the massive UID project.

The UIDAI has set January 11, 2010 as the last date for submission of the RFP (request for proposal) responses.

The consultancy services would be for designing programme management strategy and implementation roadmap for the UID project; formulating the strategy, business models, and implementation roadmap for the Central ID Data Repository (CIDR); formulating the requirements and specifications for the CIDR; preparing the required RFPs; managing the bid processes; selecting a Managed Service Provider (MSP); and providing project management services for the implementation of the CIDR.

UIDAI will be the regulatory authority controlling the Central ID Data Repository (CIDR). The CIDR will be the central data repository and will function as a managed service provider.

It will implement the core services around the UID – it will store resident records, issue unique identification numbers and verify, authenticate and amend resident data.

UIDAI has said that it will partner with agencies such as Central and State Departments and private sector agencies who will be ‘registrars' to UIDAI. Registrars will process UID applications and connect to the CIDR to de-duplicate resident information and receive UID numbers. These registrars can either be enrollers, or will appoint agencies as enrollers who will interface with people seeking UID numbers.

 

 

HOODA GOVT TO LAUNCH UNIQUE ID INITIATIVE
Chandigarh
The Pioneer  The Financial Express  

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday said his Government would soon set up a body to issue unique identification numbers to the people of Haryana.

While assuring all help of Haryana Government to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIAI), Hooda said: “A State level unit would function under Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Tourism, Keshni Anand Arora to allot unique identification numbers to the residents of the State.”

Chief Minister Hooda was discussing the issue of allotment of unique identification number with the chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India, Nandan Nilekani here on Thursday.

Nilekani, who has been visiting various States to discuss the issue of unique identification number, expected Haryana to lead in this venture. He said that the UIAI would not allot any card, but unique identification numbers of 16 digits would be allotted to each resident of India.

 

 

ONLINE US VISA PROCESS FROM FEBRUARY 1
Mumbai
Deccan Herald

The US Consulate here today announced that online US visa application process would be launched from February 1 next year.

The measure is aimed at ensuring paperless process while applying for visas, Consular Section chief David Tyler told reporters at the American Center here.

"The applicant would have to fill up visa papers electronically, answer a few questions online and approach the consulate with a print-out of a one-page confirmation with barcode," he said.

The new consulate building at Bandra-Kurla Complex here would be operational in summer next year, Tyler said. The consulate now operates from a leased premises in Breach Candy area.

The number of students from India to the US increased by nine per cent, from 94,563 to 103,260 during 2008-09, Tyler said. China and Korea have the second and third largest students studying in the US, he added.

India is leading for the last eight years in a row, he said, adding that the growth in number of Indian students per year is between five to ten per cent.

There was a slight drop in overall number of visa applicants last year in the backdrop of recession, but the number is picking up, he said.

The number of US visa applications was down by around 10 to 12 per cent worldwide last year, Tyler said. In western India, there was a drop of around 20 per cent, he added.

Security has always been a concern while processing visa applications, the senior diplomat said

 

 

PANEL SETS 1-YR DEADLINE FOR EPFOS TECH PROJECT
New Delhi
The Economic Times (Delhi edition)

Taking note of Employees Provident Fund Organisation's (EPFO) plan to introduce information technology (IT) in handling the grievances mechanism, the standing committee on labour has asked for completion of the project within a year. In its fifth report, the Parliamentary panel further recommended that the system be reviewed by EPFO at regular intervals. The committee suggested that in order to have proper check on functioning of the EPFO fund managers, a yearly appraisal report should be sought from them containing details of the contribution made by the employer, the employee and worker and the interest accumulated on the principal amount.

 

E-Governance : 17/12/09

NEW WEB SYSTEM TO DETECT ERRING BUILDING CONTRACTORS
Bangalore
The Hindu Business Line

Contractors slipping on deadlines in completing the construction work accorded by the city corporation can now easily be detected, thanks to the service provider’s move to roll out a web-based project monitoring system.

As part of its IT initiatives in improving quantity and quality of services, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has deployed the system to ensure real-time monitoring of progress of work at remote construction sites, the BBMP Commissioner, Bharat Lal Meena, said.

This would help provide proactive alerts by detecting any slippages early and thereby help in applying mid-course correction. The progress of work at these sites can be independently uploaded to the website by the contractor and the inspection agency sta tioned there, he said.

The central monitoring cell can instantly access this data from the website and take appropriate action to minimise time and cost overruns.

Real-time monitoring on a continuous basis is expected to bring in more quality consciousness among contractors, apart from simplifying logistics and significant savings in travel time and manpower deployed to monitor the work, according to T. Sheshad ri, IT advisor, IT department.

He said the system’s greatest advantage is enabling people participate in the monitoring process in civic projects. 

SMART CARD PLAYERS SEEK PARTICIPATION IN MNIC PROJECT
New Delhi
The Economic Times (Bangalore edition)

Private smart card manufacturers on Wednesday sought participation in the prestigious Multi-purpose National Identity Card Project (MNIC) aimed at providing unique identity cards to all citizens of India over the age of 18.

The smart card forum of India, an association of about 140 smart card makers, said 95% of the Indian personalisation industry is out of the project because of an interpretation, totally different from an earlier interpretation of the technical committees’ recommendations, was applied to the MNIC pilot project.

The MNIC project is being implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs through the registrar general & census commissioner. The pilot project has been given to consortium of public sector units (CPSU) comprising of Bharat Electronics Limited, ITI and Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL) by the RGI.

Scafi honorary secretary Jagdish Rajpurohit demanded a review of the pilot and said opening the project to open market mechanism can not only ensure that it is done correctly but also will plug all “wasteful expenditures”.

The pilot project, Rajpurohit said: “Extended beyond even reasonable levels because it was handed over to total new comers BEL, ITI and ECIL who had no prior experience to run a project of this magnitude and expertise”.

N VITTAL TO HEAD UID DEMOGRAPHIC DATA STANDARDS PANEL
Subrahmanyan Viswanath, Bangalore
Deccan Herald

The trail-blazing initiative to provide unique identification number to all citizens of the country has picked up feverish momentum lately.

On his part, Unique identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Chairman Nandan M Nilekani has been travelling across length and breadth, meeting stakeholders to prepare them for the massive exercise sensitising them on the onerous mission.

The UIDAI, likewise, has also been equally busy under Director General & Mission Director R S Sharma putting in place various panels to meet its mammoth task.

In pursuit of this ambitious goal, the UIDAI has now formed two committees to ensure the authority meets its mandate within the timeline it has set for itself.

The authority has set up a nine member Biometric Strandards Committee headed by National Informatics Centre Chairman B K Gairola. Likewise, it has also constituted a 16-member Demographic Data Standards & Verification Procedure Committee with former Central Vigilance Commissioner N Vittal as Chairman. The Gairola panel will also have ICICI’s Pravir Vora, Registrar General of India’s C Chandramauli, RBI’s A M Padagaonkar, among others including IIT Bombay and Kharagpur faculty.

Vittal will spearhead the team comprising ICICI Securities’ Madhavi Puri Buch, Department of Information Technology’s S R Rao, Hyerabad Rural Development Principal Secretary K Raju, and other officials drawn from New Delhi, Assam, Jharkhand, including IIM Lucknow faculty.

According to Sharma the charter of biometric standards committee is to ensure interoperability of devices, systems and process used by various agencies that use the UID system. The key requirement of UID is to minimise/eliminate duplicate UIDs and improve the efficacy of service delivery.

The committee before framing the standards will review existing standards and modify/enhance them to achieve the goals for de-duplications and authentication.

Similarly, the demographic data standards panel will review existing ones and refine it to meet the purpose of UIDAI. The two panels, in turn, can set up technical committee and working groups for conducting/developing proof of concept studies. Both the panels have been given 90 days time to submit their final report, Sharma said.

 

MCD TO MAKE PAYMENTS ONLINE
New Delhi
The Tribune

To curb corruption in payments and avoid frauds similar to the recent ghost employee scandal, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to make all payments online.

Under the new system, Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), the amount due to the contractors will be credited in their accounts within 30 minutes of work being completed. Based on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines, the RTGS system will be extended mainly to all suppliers and contractors working on various MCD projects to do away with the tender mafia.

According to the contractors, this new system will eliminate the complex process wherein the middlemen used to delay the process of payment. The civic body has witnessed constant agitation by contractors and suppliers over its failure to clear their outstanding dues.

E-Governance News: 15/12/09

UNIQUE IDENTITY NUMBER TO HELP BANKS SKIP KYC RULES
Mumbai
Business Standard

Banks in the medium future, may not need to engage in the “know-your-customer” (KYC) process, a check on customer antecedents, to open no-frills accounts. This could happen once a sizeable chunk of population gets a Unique Identification (UID) Number.

Once the UID number of a person was activated, banks could do away with KYC norms for small-value, or no-frills, accounts, said a top public sector bank official after attending a meeting organised by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday on using UID for financial inclusion.

The Unique Identification Authority of India Chairman and former Infosys co-chairman Nandan Nilekani made a presentation on how UID could help expedite the financial inclusion process.

While this will bring relief to banks, development of the UID database is going to be a long-drawn process in a country with one billion-plus population. Banks might not give up KYC norms any time soon, said another senior public sector bank executive.

“The UID authority made a presentation to RBI in which it said it will play a facilitative role in financial inclusion,” K Ramakrishnan, chief executive of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), told Business Standard.

“RBI also told banks to draw a roadmap for inclusion. This is something the UID authority is working on and will include preparation of standards for micro ATMs, etc,” he added.

The authority, set up under the Planning Commission, will provide an identity to every citizen to establish citizenship and address security concerns in this regard. The project is expected to be operational in the next 12-18 months.

 

 

MOBILE, ONLINE WATER BILL PAYMENT A REALITY SOON
Bangalore
Deccan Herald

With the BWSSB planning to accept mobile and online payments, water bills payment is set to become easier in the future. Chief Engineer (Cauvery), BWSSB, Vasudevan announced this on Monday, while presenting a paper on e-governance in BWSSB during the three-day `National Conference on Urban Water Management: Challenges and Options (NCUWM-09),’ which commenced here on Sunday.

Elaborating the proposed system to the media, BWSSB Chairperson P B Ramamurthy said that Indiranagar would become the first area to accept mobile payment. A pilot project will be launched here within a month and would later be extended to all areas under BWSSB.

On the cess the consumer will have to pay for the facility, the chairperson said that it would be a minimal amount, and not more than five rupees. Payments can also be made through Internet but this facility would be operational only after six months.

The chairperson declined to comment on the possibility of a hike in water tarrif owing to hike in power tarrif. Extra cost that the Board would incur would work out to be 10.2% more than what was being paid to the electricity board now. Out of an annual revenue of Rs 480 crore, we are paying nearly Rs 240 crore towards power charges, the highest paid by any water supply body in the country.

 

 

REDUCING EPF PENDING CASES
New Delhi
The Hindu Business Line

The Government today assured the Lok Sabha that pending cases for settlement of EPF claims will come down “substantially” once the computerisation programme being undertaken by Employees Provident Fund Organisation is completed. Till September this financial year, as many as 11.63 lakh cases were pending, but “the time taken in settlement of claims will come down substantially,” with the implementation of the computerised project, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Harish Rawat, said. According to the provisions of EPF scheme, claims received complete in all respect are settled within 30 days. In a written reply, the Minister said submission of incomplete forms by claimants and increased inflow of claims for final settlement was delaying settlement of claims. He also said that increasing trend in pending claims was due to large number of cases being processed on account of frequent changes of job, increasing membership and growing number of pending cases.

 

E-Governance News: 14/12/09

NIC RAISES CONCERN OVER PRIVACY OF UIDAI DATABASE
New Delhi, December 14, 2009
Business Standard

The National Informatics Centre has raised concerns over privacy and security of proposed database of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), headed by Infosys founder Nandan Nilekani.

The newly established UIDAI would be hosting information of all residents of the country on a private data centre, which NIC believes raises concern about privacy and security, official sources said.

In a letter dated November 6, accessed by PTI, NIC writes, “It has been proposed to hire the data centre services for PoC (proof-of-concept) and prototype on rental basis. It is presumed that the data related to UID will be hosted in a government Data Centre. If not, the issues related to privacy and security with respect to UID data may require to be taken into consideration.”

UIDAI replied that hosting the data on a private network “does not necessarily lead to violation of privacy and security”.

“There will be appropriate SLAs (Service Legal Agreements — both legal and technological) to ensure that the data is protected. It is to be mentioned that a number of sensitive database (Income Tax and PFRDA, to name two of them,) which ensure security and privacy, though they are not necessarily housed in the ‘government’ Data Centre,” the Authority replied.

It said UIDAI approach envisaged 24 Technical posts (Director Technical, Principal Systems Analyst and Senior Systems Analyst). “This will ensure adequate technical capacity to ensure both security and privacy concerns,” it said.

GOVT READIES FOR KNOWLEDGE NETWORK ROLL-OUT
Moumita Bakshi Chatterjee, New Delhi, December 13, 2009
The Hindu Business Line

The Ministry of Communications and IT has circulated a Cabinet note for the final phase of the National Knowledge Network, which seeks to connect research and academic institutions in the country over a high-speed multi gigabit network.

The outlay proposed for the final phase of the mega-project – expected to encourage collaborative research among institutions – is estimated at Rs 6,000 crore over 10 years.

The pilot phase of the National Knowledge Network was inaugurated by the President, Pratibha Patil, in April. In the initial phase, it will connect around 45 institutions.

 

UID NUMBER TO BE ISSUED ON VOLUNTARY BASIS
Ajith Athrady, New Delhi, December 14, 2009
Deccan Herald

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will allot the much-awaited unique identity number to citizens on a voluntary basis.

The citizen who seeks the number should register with the local registrars. Subsequently, it will be allotted to others to ensure every citizen of the country gets the number.

The UIDAI, headed by IT czar Nandan Nilekani, is taking all efforts to avoid duplication in allotting the numbers, sources in the authority said.

To avoid duplication of numbers, registrars will send the applicants’ data to the Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR) for de-duplication. The CIDR will perform a search on biometrics for each new enrolment.

The UIDAI has set up two committees named “data standards and verification committee” and “biometric committee”. The first will look into issues such as demographic details, which will be collected at the time of enrolment, and the process of verification in order to ensure the correctness of data. The other committee will look into the type and specifications of the biometric details of the resident, which will be collected at the time of enrolment so as to ensure uniqueness.

Meanwhile, the UIDAI is planning to rope in volunteers, including NGOs, to ensure that the poor and deprived people get priority under the project. The NGOs will be helping the authority in areas such as technology development, awareness creation and enrolment. As the unique number can be accessed and verified online from anywhere in the country, the authority will also frame a code of conduct that the volunteers need to follow, which include no conflict of interest, sources said.

 

RAJASTHAN TO SPEND RS 2000-CR UNDER R-APDRP
Jaipur, December 14, 2009
The Economic Times

Rajasthan government is set to roll out centre-funded Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reform Programme (R-APDRP) in 87 cities across the state under the 11th Five-Year Plan.

Under this scheme, Rs 2000 crore would be spent over three years for facilitating reduction of AT&C losses to a never-before level of 15 per cent through strengthening and up-gradation of Sub-Transmission and Distribution network.

The government-run power companies - Jaipur Discom, Ajmer Discom and Jodhpur Discom – has already appointed Infosys as their consultant for speedy implementation of the programme. The chairman of national committee on R-APDRP and Jaipur Discom CMD R G Gupta told ET that the IT consultant would have to handhold and guide the power utilities from concept-to-commissioning for facilitating this programme.

“IT work will involve setting up data centres, disaster recovery back-ups, GIS mapping, and entail applications for reading meters, billing and collection, energy accounting and auditing and consumer grievance redressal,” he said.