Empower every individual to transform the world

Is it possible to 'Transform-the-World'? Is it Utopian to think that it is possible to tranform the world? What would it take to tranform the world, if we dare to think out of the box? Is there a magic wand that can help to transform the world? Well these questions can be answered, if we look at the ultimate purpose of human life! Is it to widen the divides (rich Vs poor, urban Vs rural, male Vs female, literate Vs illiterate, educated Vs uneducated, able Vs disabled, corrupt vs honest, etc.), create compeition and one-up-manship in our struggle for existence? Is it the promotion of survival of the fittest - nations, communities and families? Is it possible for human beings to co-exist peacefully? What would it to take to share the resources equitably? Why do we need to grab all the resources available on earth by hook or crook, for ourselves, our community and progeney? And last but not the least, do we need to create all round peace and prosperity worldwide? If only we can create systems where everyone gets what they need and deserve for a decent living and do not grab more than what they need and deserve for themselves and thier immediate family for the present and for the future; and life on earth can be made secure and safe for all - we would have created heaven on earth. To achieve this, introduce e-Governance and a fool proof tracking of the needs and benefits of every individual, for equitable distribution of resources. Use a Biometric Smart Card to track all activities and transactions from birth to death and make sure everyone gets what they need and deserve and no one gets more than what they need  and deserve.  An attempt has already been made in India to introduce e-Governance in the states of Tamil nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar in India, where the poorest of the poor were tracked because many commited suicide as they did not have enough work and earnings to feed themselves and their children and the meagre relief paid by government and NGOs were misappropriated by corrrupt officials in collusion with middlemen. A system of Open Souce e-Governance Application called e-Administration e-Platform for e-Governance was developed and implemented combined with unique identification and tracking of the benefits due and received by the common citizens to provide for security of food, clothing, shelter, sanitation, helath, education, employemnt, social security to give voice to the voiceless  poor and marginalised to alleviate poverty and to achieve UN MDGs. The individuals are identified using biometrics (fingerprints and iris) linked to their personal details and photo and a smart card issued. This smart card has a random encrypted number which uniquley identifies them in the backend. Every individual would be empowered with the smart card and no one can be denied their dues. Recognitions and articles that appeared in support of the recognitions are as follows: Recipient of: “Innovations 2009” Award (Ideas in Practice) for implementing “e-Administration: e-Platform for e-Governance”, from Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Alumni Association and The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE) Pune (http://www.iitbombay.org/chapters-and-events/pune , http://www.innovations-pune.com/ and http://www.innovations-pune.com/2009). Selected for the World Bank Innovation Fair: Moving Beyond Conflict 2010, selected "e-Administration Open Source Tool for e-Governance" as one of the top ranked proposals and a big idea that can make the difference and a high impact approach that can work well, by an expert panel to 'Improve Service Delivery and Governance through the Use of Communications Tools' under the theme - 'Improving governance and accountability through communication technologies' out of many innovative projects submitted from around the globe. The Innovation fair was held in held in Cape Town, South Africa, between April 13-15, 2010. More details of the Projects, Objectives, Innovations, Demonstrated Development Impacts and Scalability can be seen at: http://innovationfair.spigit.com/homepagelighthttp://innovationfair.spigit.com/Sector/View?sectorid=31http://innovationfair.spigit.com/Idea/View?ideaid=68http://innovationfair.spigit.com/UserTab?usertab=1http://api.ning.com/files/zOVFGClaQ7ftty9hxPmoE1VkKlkCe0b8pyLLvlce81wVdsqNBhMSbojD869QGVG9M1tqZgc2kHB*J96oKy7Uy8zYMxwGPTLs/CompleteListOfSelectedProjects.pdf"   With e-governance, admn takes a virtual leap in TN.  22-June-2004 http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/with-e-governance-admn-takesvirtual-leap-in-tn/153594/ The New Indian Express  http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20040705124325&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0&aDate=7%2F6%2F2004 The Hindu, Metro Plus, Chennai on "Paperless or less paper?" on Saturday Jan 08, 2005 can be seen at http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/01/08/stories/2005010802070100.htm The Hindu Business Line Monday, Sep 06, 2004, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India eWorld - E-Governance - Take those files away - Raja Simhan T.E. raja@thehindu.co.inhttp://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2004/09/06/stories/2004090600020100.htm Advantage Tamil Nadu – India’s Eastern Gateway to the World – “e-Administration” - This is a paperless File Management System implemented at ELCOT as an empowerment tool for speedy disposal of files. The workflow management helps in creation, movement, monitoring and approval of files electronically resulting in better utilization of manpower, thereby avoiding delays, leading to better governance. As the system is web-enabled, it facilitate operating anywhere at any time. http://www.electadmk.com/PDF%20Files/wsj-lr72-p2.pdf Digit magazine Nov 2004 - Digital Business - How technology can help your organization - Case study - IT Cuts Red Tape - To many, e-governance and paperless office are Utopian ideas. Not for the Tamil Nadu government's IT department which uses software to create a transparent transaction process - "The biggest advantage of e-Administration is that it enables us to view, at any stage, the status of a pending file... This way work flow is simplified" - General Manager, e-Governance, Tamil Nadu.  http://geotourism.changemakers.com/files/digit_nov04_digital%20business_%20case%20study.pdf Certificate of satisfactory implementation of ‘e-Administration’ paperless office Tool (Min Aluvalagam) at Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, Chennai. Certificate Letter Roc. No. 14655/YI-2/2005 dated Sep 08, 2005 issued by P.W.C. Davidar, I.A.S., Member Secretary, SDAT. “The tool has been successfully installed and is now being implemented in the SDAT. Hitherto, what has been done manually, has been converted electronically. All the sections have begun using this tool and now have found it useful to speed-up faster communication between them... Thus, the average process time has been cut down by almost 50%. Tremendous increase in work force productivity has been noticed due to this factor”. http://cgi.apnic.net/mailing-lists/s-asia-it/archive/2005/09/pdfJrOAbTNuc1.pdf The Budget 2004-2005 address to the State assembly of the Lt. Governor of Pondicherry: Item 20 of the speech, reads as follows: "Industrial Guidance Bureau with integrated e-Platform has been established by substituting single window clearance system to speed up the process of industrial clearance / permission for setting up of new industrial units. A total of 21 Departments including Municipalities / Commune Panchayats have been integrated with a dedicated electronic network for granting permission to set up an industry and also to commence production". The  "Journal of Orissa Information Technology Society" in the Case study on: "ICT and e-Gov" - Quarterly progress Report (April - June 2003) at: http://www.oits.org/bulletin/bltn0412.pdf. PC Quest June 2007 issue has rated 250 enterprise projects - 'The Ultimate Guide to IT Implementations in India' has evaluated the Best IT Implementations of the year 2007 in various sectors, with 'Analysis of Who is Deploying What in IT', 'Tech & Trends in IT Implementations' and identifying 'Top 10 Challenges in Deploying IT', by an independent jury'. http://forums.pcquest.com/itimplementation/june_2007-30.html The customized e-Platform for the Industrial Guidance Bureau of the Government of Pondicherry, India, implemented with technical support from Life Line to Business (LL2B), Chennai, was evaluated for the Best IT Implementations of the year 2007 in the Government Sector by PC Quest, a Cybermedia publication.   “Manthan-AIF Award 2006” was awarded for creating “India’s Best e-Content” in the category of “e-Inclusion and Livelihood” out of entries from 25 states in India for “Biometric Tracking of Payments under NREGA” in remote parts of rural India (http://www.manthanaward.org/section_synopsis.asp?id=121,   http://www.manthanaward.org/section_synopsis.asp?id=201 and http://www.manthanaward.org/section_full_story.asp?id=507). The Manthan-AIF Award is a first of its kind initiative in India to recognize the best practices in e-Content and Creativity. Launched in October 2004, by Digital Empowerment Foundation in partnership with World Summit Award, and the American India Foundation, the Manthan Award emphasizes the importance of e-Content & Creativity for and by the grassroots people and organisations. The Manthan Award is an Indian initiative by Digital Empowerment Foundation, India as the national initiative of World Summit Award, to select and promote the best practices in e-Content and Creativity in India. It involves representatives from each state and union territory of India and visualizes the bridging of digital divide and narrowing of the content gap as its overall goal. The award is given under the framework of the World Summit Awards. Villagers get digital identity - Biometric tracking gives a tamper proof identity to villagers http://www.indianexpress.com/news/aids-counsel-a-call-away/21904/2  Bihar shows smart card way to cleaner rural job scheme - http://www.indianexpress.com/story/33365.html NREGA going hi-tech in Bihar - Vidya Vishwanathan - Civil Society Online - June 2007 http://www.civilsocietyonline.com/June07/india07ngrea.asp The 'BSC' of Identity - A Biometric Smart Card Device can be a fool-proof ID for citizens, says this ICT Consultant - http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/ew/2007/03/19/stories/2007031900110300.htm Technology can prevent tampering in polls – News Today article – Feb 4, 2007 http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:fYeuRG_HTOAJ:www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/decn/comm_update/res-10-160207-10.doc+technology+can+prevent+tampering+in+polls&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=in&client=firefox-a ID Cards get smarter - http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=326049 4Ps Business and Marketing Magazine - A Plan Media Publication, New Delhi, India - Special Feature - COLUMN CITIZENRY - A prescription to end corruption - Unique identification of every citizen will help kill the corruption malaise in developing economies http://www.4psbusinessandmarketing.com/17072008/storyd.asp?sid=2112&page.... 'Biometric Smart Card' – article published in: 'Information Technology in Developing Countries' newsletter of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Working Group 9.4 titled Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries. Previously supported by agencies like COMNET-IT, Malta and IDRC, Canada, the newsletter is now published on the web by the Centre for Electronic Governance, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. The newsletter carries articles on IT applications in developing countries which have created a socio-economic impact, evaluation of national policies on IT and telecommunications sectors, and paradigms to understand the impact of IT on development. Relevant conferences announcements and reviews of conferences and books are also carried in the newsletter. The readership mainly consists of IT professionals, academics and administrators concerned with IT policy. The newsletter has to its credit a legacy of over 10 years of print publication, reaching 750 individual subscribers and 45 libraries in 40 countries. Past issues can be accessed through the WG 9.4 homepage.   http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/egov/ifip/oct2008/oct2008.htm and http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/egov/ifip/oct2008/kris-dev.htm. Smart Voter-IDs needed - http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/geetanjali-krishna-smart-voter-ids-needed/356822/ Backward Bihar goes for the smartest cards - Times of India – April 04, 2010 India has launched its first high-tech census. Citizens will be photographed and give 10 fingerprints each. The resultant database will be used to issue identity cards, and later smart cards, to all. All Indians will welcome high-tech smart cards. Yet the technological lead has been taken not by the Census Commissioner but, astonishingly, by Bihar. This state has just completed a pilot project for smart cards in Patna district, called e-shakti (meaning power from electronic governance). These cards use not just fingerprints but biometric matching of the human iris, which is state-of-the-art technology. E-sakthi has covered 1,350,000 people in Patna district. It is now being expanded to cover the whole state. This bids fair to be the biggest biometric card scheme in the world. It may seem crazy that such a high-tech project is being launched in one of India’s most backward states. Yet administrative standards in Bihar are so abysmal that no mere tinkering can check corruption. Only a revolutionary new technology that bypasses traditional avenues of corruption can deliver the goods in Bihar. In early 2007, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar worried that corruption and bogus muster rolls were jeopardizing his political gamble, to stake his future on bringing development to Bihar. Fellow Biharis were using every trick in the book to evade his anti-corruption measures. Then he heard that an e-governance consultant based in Chennai, had devised a biometric card that could establish identities beyond all doubt, and thus thwart bogus muster rolls. Clearly such high technology would face challenges in a state where electricity was scarce in the capital and non-existent in most rural areas. Nevertheless, the consultant was invited to Patna to demonstrate his new technology, and he convinced even old cynics. So, a pilot project was launched in Patna district. Its immediate aim was to create corruption-proof electronic muster rolls and job cards. http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Swaminomics/entry/backward-bihar-goes-for-the#comment-form Unique ID - Letters Column - Deccan Chronicle, Chennai - Monday, April 12, 2010. There is no doubt that Unique ID can be the panacea for most evils of modern society, if implemented correctly. It can help the government to save crores of tax payers’ money year after year lost on account of leakages in the system. UIDAI should ensure compliance with International Data Security Standards and be vested with the responsibility of registering every citizen and resident in India and issuing Biometric Smart Card with multi modal biometrics (finger prints, iris, facial, palm vein and DNA). All transactions of all individuals and organizations must be mandated through the use of the Biometric Smart Card. This can help to plug all the loop holes in the system and ensure transparency and accountability. http://www.dc-epaper.com/DC/DCC/2010/04/12/INDEX.SHTML?ArtId=010_030&Search=Y More at http://ll2b.blogspot.com.