Aadhaar example of using technology to leapfrog: Nilekani

October 16, 2013

Nandan_NilekaniMelbourne, Oct 16: Aadhaar project is an example of using modern technology to leapfrog for future development and transformation of a country, UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani has said.

"Aadhaar project is one such example of using modern technology to leapfrog," Nilekani told a packed audience while giving an oration titled 'India's transformation: The role of Information Technology' here last night.

"Aadhaar project is to solve the problem of people who do not have an acknowledgement of their existence by people and the state or lack of acknowledgement of their identity," he said.

Nilekani, an IIT-ian who left Infosys to join the government as the head of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), stressed that by giving every Indian person a unique 12-digit number under the Aadhaar project could change their lives, and the nation.

Nelikani said that in India which has the total population of over one billion, only 50 million people had passports which was mere five per cent of total population, around 30 million people paid taxes and over 150 million people had driver licence.

"All these traditional IDs are only available to a very narrow segment of India's population," he said, adding that the need to create an ID system which can then provide an access to other host of public services and utilities was imperative in modern times.

"Not having an identity today can be a huge impediment."

"Government has set up this Aadhaar programme principally for two main reasons. One is to give everybody an ID so that they can participate in so called modern economy and second, is to see that its numerous welfare schemes which goes to individuals are being passed to the genuine beneficiaries."

The project can be used to demonstrate that modern technology can be used for future development and transformation of a country

With Aadhaar in place, the government could deliver entitlement and subsidies in much more efficient and equitable way, he said.

"Aadhaar", or identification number, is merely a platform that can be utilised for other applications that many people are unable to access without formal identification, he said.

Since the commencement of the project 30 million bank accounts have been opened as a direct benefit of the Aadhaar card, and 10 million transactions have been made using the unique ID number.

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News Network
May 13,2020

New Delhi, May 13: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will address a press conference in New Delhi at 4 pm on Wednesday.

The information regarding the press conference by the Union Finance Minister was given through a tweet by the Ministry of Finance today morning.

Sitharaman's press conference comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced USD 265 billion fiscal stimulus to deal with COVID-19 situation in the country. The package is the second largest in Asia after Japan.

"I announce a special economic package today. This will play an important role in the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.' The announcements made by the government over COVID, decisions of RBI and today's package totals to Rs 20 lakh crore (USD 265 billion). This is 10 per cent of India's GDP," the Prime Minister said in his address to the nation on Tuesday.

"This economic package is for our small-scale industries, MSMEs, which are the means of livelihood of crores of people and is the strong base of our resolve for self-reliant India. To prove the resolve of self-reliant India, the emphasis has been given on land, labour, liquidity and laws, in this package," he added.

The PM had also said that the economic package is for "the country's workers, farmers, who are working hard day and night for the countrymen in every season. This economic package is for the middle class of our country, who pays tax honestly and contributes to the development of the country."

He had announced that the fourth phase of the nationwide COVID-19 induced lockdown would be in "new form with new rules."

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February 5,2020

Mumbai, Feb 5: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said there was no need to fear the Citizenship Amendment Act, but asserted his government will not allow the proposed National Register of Citizens to be implemented as it would "impact people of all religions".

Throwing out Bangladeshi and Pakistani migrants out of the country was an old demand of the Shiv Sena, the chief minister said in the third and concluding part of his interview to party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"I can confidentally say the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) is not meant to throw Indian citizens out of the country. But, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is going to impact Hindus as well," the Sena president said.

India has the right to know the number of minorities from neighbouring nations who applied for Indian citizenship after being persecuted in their home countries, he said.

"When they come here, will they get homes under the 'Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana'? What about employment and education of their children? All these issues are important and we have the right to know," hesaid in the interview to Saamana's executive editor and Sena MP Sanjay Raut.

"As chief minister, I should know where will these people be relocated in my state. Our own people don't have adequate housing. Will these people go to Delhi, Bengaluru or Kashmir, since Article 370 is now scrapped?" he wondered.

Several Kashmiri Pandit families are staying like refugees in their own country. The CAA is not to throw citizens out of the country, Thackeray said.

"However, the NRC will impact Hindus and Muslims and the state government will not allow it to be implemented," he asserted.

Under the NRC, all citizens will have to prove their citizenship. In Assam, 19 lakh people could not prove their citizenship. Of these, 14 lakh are Hindus, Thackeray claimed.

In a veiled attack on his cousin and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who will lead a rally in support of the CAA and NRC in Mumbai on February 9, the chief minister said the NRC is not yet a reality and there is no need for a 'morcha' in support of or against it.

"If the NRC is enforced, those who are supporting it will also be affected," he said.

Under the NRC, even Hindus will have to prove their citizenship. "I will not allow the law to be enacted. Whether I am chief minister or not, I will not allow injustice to anybody," he said.

The chief minister also took a veiled dig at the Centre's decision to give the Padma Shri award to Pakistani-origin musician Adnan Sami.

"A migrant is a migrant. You can't honour him with the Padma award. Throwing out illegal migrants was the stand of (late Shiv Sena supremo) Balasaheb Thackeray," he said without naming anyone.

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May 9,2020

New Delhi, May 9: With 3,320 coronavirus cases and 95 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 cases rose to 59,662 on Saturday, informed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The total number of active cases in the country now stands at 39,834 while the number of cured/discharged/migrated stands at 17,847.

The country has reported 1,981 deaths so far, added the Ministry.

Maharashtra has the highest number of cases with 19, 063 followed by Gujarat with 7,402 cases and Delhi with 6,318 cases.

Meanwhile, the country continues to remain in a lockdown slated to end on May 17.

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