E-Governance : 15/7/09

NILEKANI FINDS OIL FIRMS' DATA HANDY IN CREATING ID CARDS
New Delhi
Financial Chronicle  Deccan Herald  The Indian Express  

Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani-headed Unique Identification Authority will utilise the existing data available with government departments such as Income Tax and state fuel retailers for rolling out the unique identification cards for the country's citizens.

Nilekani, who is yet to officially take over, met Petroleum Minister Murli Deora today and saw synergy in the huge data base available with the public sector oil companies that service 110 million LPG customers and have vast information on BPL families buying PDS kerosene.

"We will cooperative very closely with the Petroleum Ministry," he said. Deora said the huge database of petroleum products such as LPG customers with oil marketing companies will be useful in covering a large part of the population.

Nilekani said the oil sector data of LPG consumers is a huge attraction and resource towards accomplishing the task in his hand.

The authority may also use the data of PAN card applicants available with the Income Tax Department for the initial build-up of a resource base.

Nilekani said the unique identification number to each individual resident will take sometime. He refused to fix a timeframe for the roll out. "I have yet to takeover please give me some time."

Asked if the unique IDs could also be in future used to sell subsidised domestic LPG and kerosene, he said the concept would have to be deliberated at length. "This is just a preliminary meeting."

Synchronisation of data, standardization of biometric information and the technology would go a long way to service the purpose of the authority and oil sector.

The identification of the customers will help in better targeting the subsidised products.

Deora said the Petroleum Ministry has decided to soon launch a pilot project in Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad and a few village for issuing smart cards to consumers of PDS kerosene and domestic LPG. The experience of the pilot project would be shared with the authority.

The ministry would also utilize the expertise of the personnel with the authority in further expansion of the programme.

NILEKANI’S CEO: IITIAN IAS OFFICER WHO BROUGHT E-GOV TO JHARKHAND
Manoj Prasad, Ranchi
The Indian Express

Last year when he completed 30 years in the Indian Administrative Service, Ram Sevak Sharma received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration. And now, Jharkhand’s Principal Secretary (Public Health and Engineering) is all set to move to New Delhi as CEO of the National Unique Identification Authority of India(NUIAI) chaired by Nandan Nilekani.

From the 1978 batch of the IAS, Sharma, who has a Masters in Mathematics from IIT, Kanpur and Computer Science from the University of California, has served as Deputy Development Commissioner in Saharsa, District Collector in Begusarai, Purnea and Dhanbad, Joint Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Finance and Nodal Officer for the IMF, MIGA and GEF.

Handpicked by Nilekani for the NUIAI, Sharma said: “I am very happy to have got an opportunity to work for the NUIAI. I will leave no stone unturned to make it a success.”

On his return from California in 2003, Sharma was transferred nine times in a span of six years in Jharkhand. But he kept frustration out and as Secretary (IT) — a post he held for over three years in two stints — he created the infrastructure for e-governance in the state, complete with programmes for public grievances, treasury and transport. Today, JharNet is a success story, attaining a national e-governance ranking in 2007-08.

After the state was placed under President’s rule, the state government turned to Sharma, seeking advice for an action plan. In a report titled Governance reforms in next 100 days — he submitted it to the government on June 13 — Sharma suggested a slew of measures.

HOW NILEKANI'S UID SCHEME WILL HELP POOR
Mumbai
The Times of India

A small square of plastic, no bigger than a credit card, is all that stands between Pralhad Dandekar and his ability to bring home food for his wife and two daughters.

It is a special identity card, issued by the state government, which all fishermen on the open seas are required to carry.

Dandekar, a wiry 58-year-old, says he applied for the card two years ago. “I wait, wait, wait,” he said.

India has a huge identity problem: too many people like Dandekar struggle to definitively establish who they are. The rich can flash passports, driver's licenses, and credit cards, but the poor rely on a jumble of electricity bills, ration cards, voting cards, and letters from local officials -- none of which is foolproof.

That has made it harder for them to get jobs, open bank accounts and establish property rights, stymieing their ability to participate in, and in turn fuel, India's growth. It has also increased the potential for graft in India's massive social subsidy programs.

Enter outsourcing guru Nandan Nilekani, the man India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has tasked with identifying India's masses.

On July 15, Nilekani will take over as director of the Unique Identification Authority of India, a new government office that plans to issue national identity cards to all 1.2 billion Indian citizens.

NILEKANI REPORT ON POWER REFORMS GATHERING DUST
Sanjay Dutta, New Delhi
The Times of India

Nandan Nilekani may be a symbol of PM Manmohan Singh's idea to energise the government by inducting new ideas from the private sector through lateral entry. But a report, prepared some years ago and refreshed last year at the government's behest, by the Infosys co-founder on using IT to increase efficiency in managing flow and consumption of electricity in the country has been gathering dust in the power ministry.

India has one of the highest power wheeling losses in the world, with only 65 out of every 100 units of electricity being transmitted reaching destination. This is the result of inefficiencies in the system, poor metering and theft. This has a sapping effect on efforts to ramp up availability and give consumers flexibility to chose suppliers according to rates on offer at any given time of the day through open access.

During NDA rule, then power minister Suresh Prabhu had asked Nilekani to prescribe a heavy dose of IT to revitalise the transmission system as part of the power reforms programme. The report got buried with Prabhu's exit. Till last year when then minister of state for power Jairam Ramesh dusted it and asked Nilekani to refresh it in tune with the elapsed time, first reported in TOI on April 24 last year.

NANDAN NILEKANI TO TAKE CHARGE NEXT WEEK
New Delhi
The Times of India

Nandan M Nilekani, who was appointed head of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIAI) said he would be taking over his new assignment from next week.

"I would be joining next week," the former Infosys co-chairman told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

Nilekani was appointed as head of Unique Identification Authority of India on Monday. Soon after his appointment, Nilekani had said, "UIAI would create a centralised, national database of Indian residents."

Talking about the need of such identity cards, he had said "the big problem today with identity is that many systems have lot of duplicates which lead to fraud."

He said UIAI would create a national network of verification so that a person could prove his/her identity.

The UIAI has been created to launch a national ID card project to check the duplication of identification, which leads to serious frauds while implementing various government programmes.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA PLANS TO LAUNCH SME HELPLINE
New Delhi
The Economic Times

The government of India plans to launch a toll-free helpline for small and medium businesses, which would offer assistance on issues like taxation, finance, laws, marketing and other relevant topics.

This was disclosed by Dinesh Rai, Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Government of India, at a conference on Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Reiterating the government's commitment to SMEs, Rai said, "The toll-free helpline is part of our resolve to assist SMEs in day-to-day operations, finance, marketing, legal, banking and taxation domains." Rai also underlined a plan to run a National Skill and Development Centre (NSDC) to create a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem in India.

Highlighting the plight of SMEs, Founder and CEO of IndiaMART.com, Dinesh Agarwal appealed to the government to minimize red-tapism, encourage single-window clearance mechanisms, rationalize tax regimes and adopt a proactive strategy aimed at education and evangelism for SMEs. He also lamented the issue of technology providers trying to push highly priced products and solutions to SMEs, which are beyond their budgets. "If SMEs are not provided with timely help, we will run the risk of a fall in exports and a resultant fall in GDP," said Agarwal.

Painting a bullish picture about India's future, Gurmukh Singh, Head, Business Marketing, Intel, South Asia, exhorted the SME sector to be ready when exponential growth in India's online universe throws up big possibilities.

"By 2012, India will get 511 million Internet users and small businesses should be ready for it. Intel is already offering solutions and assistance which SMEs can make use of even today," Singh said. Ramraj Pai, Director, SME Ratings, CRISIL, seconded Singh and favoured SMEs embracing a credibility-driven approach, which can differentiate their businesses.

Rajiv Sodhi, Director, Emerging Geographies, Microsoft India, educated the audience on the power of ICT for innovation and acceleration of business in time of recession. Speaking on the much-publicised 'Project Vikas', Sodhi reiterated Microsoft's commitment to help SMEs, by offering tailor-made software solutions to aid in operations, maximising revenues and creating relationships with customers and partners.

MEMBERS IRKED WITH NASSCOM OVER
Vivek Seal, New Delhi
DNA

Indian IT and BPO trade body Nasscom's suggestion that multiple standards should be chosen over a single standard for e-governance projects has irked a few members who say they weren't consulted over the issue.

Source said IBM, Red Hat and Sun Microsystems weren't consulted before Nasscom recommended multiple standards to the IT ministry.

The decision on an open standard for citizens' data and land records, etc, has already been delayed by several months. With this new rift emerging between Nasscom and its members, it could be delayed further.



A Nasscom spokesperson said, "Nasscom is in the middle of consultative process with different stakeholders and won't be commenting on this issue."

Single standard is supported by the open document format (ODF) brigade that includes IBM, Red Hat and Sun Microsystems in India while multiple standards are supported by Microsoft, Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and industry bodies like Manufacturers' Association of Information Technologyand Nasscom. Vendors for all e-governance projects will have to support all the data only in the standard chosen finally as all the projects are through public-private-partnership. IBM declined comment on the issue.

The IT department, over the last few months, has swung from supporting single standard to multiple standards, but hasn't made a final decision, eventually delaying the whole process. Jaijit Bhattacharya, the country director of government strategy for Sun Microsystems India, said, "Nasscom didn't consult us before giving its opinion on the issue. If it is talking on the behalf of the industry, we should have been consulted. Now the decision will be delayed again."

Last week, Venkatesh Hariharan, director (corporate affairs), Red Hat India, shot off a letter to Nasscom president Som Mittal. "We have been informed that Nasscom has submitted its opinion on the Draft Open Standards Policy for e-governance to the government of India. We have been told the submission supports the inclusion of standards under Reasonable and Non Discriminatory terms and also the usage of multiple standards in the same domain. Red Hat has been involved in the standards issue and we would like to place on record that we haven't been consulted by Nasscom before this submission was made," said the letter. Nasscom is yet to reply to Hariharan's letter.

E-GOVERNANCE: STATE SLIPS FROM FIRST TO 15TH POSITION
Bangalore
Deccan Herald

Karnataka, which had carved a niche for itself in promoting e-governance, has slipped from number one position to number 15 in the country, said Congress MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

Citing a survey report, Dinesh said that the State had occupied the 8th slot in e-governance implementation chart last year. “But now, Karnataka is not doing well in promoting e-governance. Other states including Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh have overtaken Karnataka,” he said.

His comments came even as Chief Minister Yeddyurappa was making claims that Karnataka has become a model for other states in e-governance.

T B Jayachandra (Cong) said the Government has been outsourcing e-governance related work. But the Government must realise that the quality of outsourced work was very poor. "The work of Nemmadi Kendras outsourced to Comats has earned the State a bad reputation because of its poor performance,” he said.

E-AUCTION OF TEA OPENS IN ALL CENTRES IN SOUTH INDIA
Shantha Thiagarajan, Udhagamandalam
The Times of India (Chennai edition)

With the introduction of tea e-auction in Kochi on Tuesday, the centre joined Coonoor and Coimbatore to sell all teas online. The Tea Board of India scored a major victory in the Kerala High Court last week when it vacated its interim stay on e-auction at Kochi and authorised the Tea Board to go ahead with 100% e-auction from Tuesday.

The court observed that the implementation of the new system of auction should be left to the Tea Board, which being a statutory body, has the exclusive right to decide the mode of auction.

R D Nazeem, executive director, Tea Board (South) said that in the Coonoor and Coimbatore centres, the 100% e-auction had been successfully going on for the past two months without any complaints and it had shown clearly that the sellers, small tea growers and estate factories were getting better prices for their produce.

 

E-Governance Update: 14/7/09

GOVT TO SET UP THINK-TANK TO ADVISE IT ON IT MATTERS
Chennai
The Times of India (Chennai edition)

A think-tank comprising experts in information technology in the academic and research fields and senior corporate leaders will be formed to assist the state government on policy matters and help the administration keep itself abreast of advancements in the industry.

Moving the demand for grants for information technology in the Assembly, IT minister Dr Poongothai said the proposed think tank would meet at periodical intervals to advise the IT department on addressing policy related matters and furthering the cause of e-governance in the state.

A think-tank was essential in the field of IT which was constantly advancing with new improvements to technology, to make it possible to provide more services to the public in an economic and viable manner. It would assist the department keep pace with changes in the international IT scenario, she said.

With more firms interested in investing in Tier II cities in the state, a help desk would be established for IT firms seeking to set up base here, Poongothai announced. Pointing out that the state was leading the nation with 29 percent growth in software exports against the national average of 12 percent this year despite the global recession. The exports have gone up to Rs 36,650 crore in 2008-09 from Rs 28,426 crore in 2007-08. The work force increased from 2.40 lakh to 2.85 lakh in the same period, she added. From the time the DMK government assumed office in 2006, the state’s annual software exports has exceeded the national average, she contended.

PAY UTILITY BILLS THROUGH CELL PHONES
Shyamala Seetharamanan
Financial Chronicle  The Hindu Business Line  The Times of India (Chennai edition)  

People of Tamil Nadu will be able to pay their utility bills though mobile phones soon.

Hinduja-group company Defiance Tech is developing the platform and if the government’s plans work out on time, the pilot service will be rolled out in the next 30 days.

The mobile governance initiatives were announced by the state IT minister Poongothai Aladi Aruna during the legislative assembly session on Monday. “The platform is ready and the Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (Elcot) is now aligning the service with Reserve Bank of India guidelines,” said Santosh Babu, Elcot managing director, the nodal agency for IT in the state.

The mobile platform is part of the state’s e-governance initiatives, for which a policy will be framed this year. The state is also coming up with a common portal for online access of services such as land, birth and death registrations. The Centre and the state are together committing Rs 16.13 crore for the project.

“Basic IT infrastructure in the form of State Data Centre, Tamil Nadu state wide area network and the 708 points of presence has helped to drive e-governance applications in ten departments. There is now a need for an e-governance policy to ensure that in the maze of the activity there is consistency in approach,” Aruna said.

“Interoperability, upgradeability and security standards will be defined so as to prevent repetitive work in application development,” she added.

The government has also proposed to institutionalise the existing structure by creating a special purpose vehicle called the Tamil Nadu e-Governance agency , she added.

The agency would act as the support body to draw up standards for projects and capacity building, she said.

The state’s e-governance initiatives are supported by the data centre at Perungudi near Chennai.

TN has proposed to set up a second data centre in the same premises at an estimated cost of Rs 55.8 crore with aid from the Centre. A disaster recovery centre is also being set up at Madurai.

As part of the e-governance initiative, Tamil Nadu is creating paperless offices. across several state departments. The initiative is also being extended to offer citizen services.

The common service portal will help to download forms and submit applications electronically.

The submitted e-form will then be routed through State Service Delivery Gateway to the respective field office of the concerned department.

TN FRAMES E-SECURITY POLICY
Chennai
Business Standard  The Hindu Business Line  

The state government is framing an e-security policy to give broad guidance and specific measures for information security across all the government departments. The policy will be released in 2009-2010, according to an IT department release on Monday.

The government is also planning to bring out a policy in 2009-10 on e-waste and its management. The policy will work towards minimising e-waste generation, utilise generated e-waste for beneficial purposes through reuse and recycling and ensure environmentally-sound disposal of residual waste.

The release further said that the IT department will work with mobile service providers, government departments, financial institutions and others concerned to deliver citizen services. “Mobile governance will become an important mode of service delivery, offering online services to citizens and to businesses,” it said.

The state portal will soon become a common interface for availing government services by citizens and business community. The total cost of this project is Rs 16.13 crore and will be carried out with financial assistance from the Union government, the release added.

A Tamil Nadu e-governance agency is also proposed whereby all the basic information and documentation on IT applications in the state will be stored and can be retrieved easily whenever required. This will also ensure that adequate records on all IT applications are permanently available.

MITTAL, POSCO, SAIL, TATA, ALL HAVE TO QUEUE UP FOR COAL BLOCKS
New Delhi, July 13, 2009
The Economic Times

They may commit investments of thousands of crores but Mittal, Tata or SAIL will have to bid like anyone else if they want coal blocks for their power or steel projects, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal has said.

"We are coming out with a new policy for captive coal blocks ... Everyone will have to bid if they want coal blocks," Jaiswal said, when asked about a report that L N Mittal has complained about the delays in getting coal and iron ore mines for his Rs 50,000 crore steel project each in Jharkhand and Orissa.

The government would introduce a policy facilitating e-auctioning of coal blocks for captive use, possibly in next three months. The move will speed up the process of such allotments, he said.

With the competitive bidding, the Coal Ministry seeks to generate additional revenues, which will be used in exploring new coal properties. The e-auctioning, he said, would also check the prevalent undervaluation of the dry fuel.

POSTAL DEPT’S PROJECT ARROW ALLOCATED RS 170 CRORE TO ENHANCE BRAND IMAGE
Kirtika Suneja
Business Standard

Project arrow, the flagship project of the Department of Posts (DoP), which intends to make the post office ‘a window to the world of the aam aadmi’, will be extended to 500 post offices by September 30.

The average spending on a head office under project arrow is 20-30 lakh, taking the total on the project to around Rs 170 crore.

Project arrow was launched in April 2008 in 50 identified post offices in 10 circles in the first phase, with a funding of Rs 12.5 crore. Phase-II was launched on January 1 and the government has already spent Rs 74 crore since then, on 450-450 post offices.

The plan is to equip the 500 identified post offices with required hardware and software and internal kiosks.

Planning for infrastructure on payment to wage earners under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), is under way.” This is to happen by August this year in all rural post offices through web-based technologies,” said a highly placed source.

SATYAM TAKING BACK SHAKY STAFF
Ruchi Hajela & Mahua Venkatesh, New Delhi
Hindustan Times (Delhi edition)

Niharika Jaiswal ,who had been part of a 8,500-strong pool of surplus work-force kept in suspended animation after the fraud that mauled Satyam Computer Services, has been asked to join back Mahindra Satyam, the born-again version of the Hyderabad company.

The entire pool may soon find itself back on the company’s rolls.

Jaiswal, a 24-year-old software engineer, is one of the 1,100 employees who have been taken back by the company after it created the half-way house as a prelude to possible layoffs aimed at cutting costs.

Last month, the company had decided to put 8,500 employees who were considered ‘excess’ on a ‘virtual’ bench for four to six months. However, with the growth of the business, many more employees are expected to be called back to work.

"Around 1,100 associates have been placed already and depending on the business prospects we hope to call back or re-deploy all those who were put on the virtual pool. Those with required skill sets and technology background will be preferred," Sridhar Maturi, head, media relations at Mahindra Satyam told Hindustan Times.