WORLD NEWS: "India Taps Executive For Role In ID Plan," by Amol Sharma, Wall Street Journal, 10 November 2009.
The corporate chieftain (from Infosys) picked to run the show says the roadblocks aren't technological but political.
The goal is to get the poor and disadvantaged better access to government services and anything that requires proof of identity.
It is a huge census effort, really, to include biometrics, so Nandan Nilekani, the leader in question, spends a lot of time enlisting the support of players from all sorts of relevant sectors (banking, telecoms, regulators, agencies of all gov levels, etc.).
Here's the key subtext for India as a whole:
Mr. Nilekani's appointment--and performance as a cabinet-level minister--is being watched closely to see whether the management and technological expertise that has established India's information technology and other service industries as world class, can reform and rejuvenate India's notoriously labyrinthine and corrupt bureaucracy.
If Nilekani does well, the hope is that other gov execs will consider government stints.
For now, Nilekani is a non-stop PPT roadshow, complaining that "the amount of time you need to invest to push an idea in government is really high."
Preaching to the choir, my man.
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