Thursday, July 5, 2012

Indian State of Uttar Pradesh Isn't Waiting for UID

Uttar Pradesh to give foodgrain via biometric cards (Thaindian News)
Uttar Pradesh will computerise the public distribution system and issue biometric smart cards to its residents, an official said Thursday.

Chief Secretary Javed Usmani said foodgrain would be provided to people only through smart cards to flush out fake ration cards from the system.

In the first phase, 18 districts would be covered as pilot project.
Uttar Pradesh Isn't Waiting for UID. Judging by the scant information in this article, they're forging ahead anyway.

We mentioned here how Nandan Nilekani was creating competition for India Post in order to gain access to better services for delivering UID numbers to individuals.

Could the shoe now be on the other foot?

Is UID going to have to improve its performance in competition with states who appear willing to set up their own systems?