Aadhar: Much more than just a number...

For more than 4 years, the 12-digit number called Aadhaar has generated more debate than action.

But now that 18 crore Indians do have this number and 42 crore more should have it by April 2013, it’s time to focus more on what the number will—and can—really do.

For, it is the utility of the card that will make all the struggle in its implementation worthwhile—or worthless. Here’s what ET found:

What will it do for rural Indians: Aadhaar will enable direct transfer of welfare payments to a beneficiary, eliminating delays and corruption. Here’s a hypothetical village girl’s example to show how:



What will it do for urban Indians: The biggest gain in urban India will be through improved efficiency of transactions, which will save cost and time.



What will it do for government: If implemented well, Aadhaar could fi nally ensure that poor do get more than 15% of the money spent in their name--something Rajiv Gandhi had dreamt of. The estimated Rs 300,000 crore annual subsidy bill will either reduce or be better utilised.



SOME PROPOSED UID APPS:

INDIVIDUAL RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM: This application will enable government track and help poor students, and provide them assistance when needed. It also proposes to marry UID with health record of each individual, helping patients and the doctors who would treat them in the future.

VOICESECURE: Proposes to unify UID information of an individual with his/her voice sample. Voice biometrics can then be used for various applications like voting, access to premises, digital signature, another online security layer above login/password and telephony dealings.

MEDICALUID: Create a government-regulated database of medical history of citizens linked with their UID

AUTOMATED RATIONING FOR PDS: This application envisages automation of the entire public distribution system, right from procurement of grain to its delivery, and its integration with UID

ODD JOBS: A proposal to supply temporary workers who have a UID number for odd jobs like babysitting and cleaning. Will save employers the hassle of verifying antecedents of the new hires and at the same time provide jobs to the unskilled.