Infosys Technologies' Co-Chairman Nandan Nilekani was today appointed as Chairman of an Authority with Cabinet minister's rank to steer the ambitious scheme for creating a multi-purpose unique identification database of citizens.
54-year-old Nilekani, the co-founder of the leading IT firm along with N R Narayana Murthy 28 years ago, will head the Unique Identification Database Authority of India (UIDAI) under the aegis of the Planning Commission.
He will have the rank and status of the Cabinet minister, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after a Cabinet meeting.
The scheme is aimed at providing a unique identity to the targeted population of the flagship schemes to ensure that the benefits reach them, she said.
A visionary and a thinker, Nilekani, who gets an annual compensation of over USD 1.75 lakh and whose net worth is USD 1.3 billion, resigned his membership of Infosys Board of Directors following his appointment.
His colleagues in Infosys top management Mohandas Pai and Kris Gopalakrishnan said his exit from would be a loss to the organisation but a gain to the country.
Announcing his appointment, the PMO said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has invited Nilekani to chair an authority that will create a unique identification database of the country's citizens.
Nilekani, born in Sirsi in Uttara Kannada in northern Karnataka, did his early education in Bangalore and Dharwad before moving to Mumbai to study Electrical Engineering in IIT, Bombay.
The PMO said The functioning of the authority and activities to be performed by the UIA would serve multiple objectives.
The authority shall have the responsibility to lay down plans and policies to implement the unique identification scheme in the country.
It shall own and operate the unique identification number database and be responsible for its updation and maintenance on an ongoing basis.
Sonia said the Authority shall have responsibility to lay down plans and policies to implement the Unique Identification Scheme (UID), shall own and operate the Unique Identification number database and be responsible for its updation and maintenance on an ongoing basis," Soni said.
The Authority will identify the targeted groups for various flagship programmes, she added.
The flagship schemes of the UPA include the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, National Rural Health Mission and Bharat Nirman.
The unique identification number would ensure that any lacuna in these schemes is removed so that the benefits do not reach those they are not meant for.
The Government had earmarked Rs 100 crore in the interim Budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Parliament on February 16 to kickstart its ambitious Unique Identification Project.
The government has been working on improving arrangements to ensure that development deliverables reach the intended beneficiaries, Mukherjee had said.
People may not be screaming his name out in offices, but he has his own fan following and enjoys rock star-like fame. Nandan M Nilekani has clearly emerged as the most famous of those who created India's widely idolised IT company - Infosys.
N R Narayana Murthy has probably had more media coverage but as the key people behind Infosys prepare to hand over control to the next generation of business leaders, it is Nilekani who looks all set to enjoy a great solo career.
Nilekani, 54, is already credited with repainting India's image globally and will now head an authority that will create a unique electronic database of the country's citizens - a project that many see as key to plugging loopholes in implementation of welfare schemes.
As chairperson of the country's Unique Identification Authority, Nilekani would enjoy the rank of Cabinet Minister.
The electrical engineer from IIT, Bombay, who is the Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Infosys Technologies Limited, was named among Time magazine's world's 100 most influential people of 2009 - an honour he secured in 2006 too.
From March 2002 to June 22, 2007, he served as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director and has previously held the posts of President and Chief Operating Officer of the company that he founded, along with Murthy and others, in 1981.
Economictimes & Agencies
Showing posts with label Manmohan Singh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manmohan Singh. Show all posts
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Will the Rs 2000 crore government package bailout out Satyam?
Speculation is rife that the government is considering a package of up to Rs 2,000 crore to bailout the crisis-ridden Satyam Computer but no confirmation could be obtained.
Shortly after the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's review meeting on Satyam on Tuesday, there was media speculation that government would be considering a financial assistance ranging between Rs 500 crore and Rs 2,000 crore but the PMO office declined to comment on it.
"We have nothing to say on this," a top PMO official said when asked about if the government was considering giving financial aid to Satyam which is confronting a cash crisis.
Meanwhile, official sources indicated that the government appointed Satyam board has written a letter to the finance ministry raising concerns about the liquidity crunch in the troubled company.
Talking to reporters after the first meeting of the new board in Hyderabad, HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh, who is member of the board, had said "working capital issues require immediate attention and we will work with the team to tide over this situation.
Satyam has 53,000 employees and needs over Rs 500 crore a month to meet the staff cost.
Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, who attended PM's review meeting, had said yesterday that the government was open to consider a financial package for Satyam.
Agencies
Shortly after the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's review meeting on Satyam on Tuesday, there was media speculation that government would be considering a financial assistance ranging between Rs 500 crore and Rs 2,000 crore but the PMO office declined to comment on it.
"We have nothing to say on this," a top PMO official said when asked about if the government was considering giving financial aid to Satyam which is confronting a cash crisis.
Meanwhile, official sources indicated that the government appointed Satyam board has written a letter to the finance ministry raising concerns about the liquidity crunch in the troubled company.
Talking to reporters after the first meeting of the new board in Hyderabad, HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh, who is member of the board, had said "working capital issues require immediate attention and we will work with the team to tide over this situation.
Satyam has 53,000 employees and needs over Rs 500 crore a month to meet the staff cost.
Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, who attended PM's review meeting, had said yesterday that the government was open to consider a financial package for Satyam.
Agencies
Thursday, December 11, 2008
PM flags off first 3G service in India
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) has announced the launch of India's first 3G services. The formal inauguration has been by the prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh and Communications & IT minister A. Raja, at India Telecom 2008.
With the launch of these 3G services, MTNL's customers in the metros of New Delhi and Mumbai will be the first to experience new services like high speed data transfers, video streaming and conferencing, mobile TV, video mobile surveillance, and mobile internet broadband.
MTNL has selected Motorola's next-generation 3G network infrastructure that includes radio access network, core network elements and various services like project management, networks deployments, and system integration.
"We are working closely with technology partners like Motorola to provide a suite of advanced mobile applications that are not being offered by any other existing carriers. We believe these services will create a paradigm shift in the mobile experience of the Indian consumer" said, RSP Sinha, chairman and managing director of MTNL.
Source: Agencies
With the launch of these 3G services, MTNL's customers in the metros of New Delhi and Mumbai will be the first to experience new services like high speed data transfers, video streaming and conferencing, mobile TV, video mobile surveillance, and mobile internet broadband.
MTNL has selected Motorola's next-generation 3G network infrastructure that includes radio access network, core network elements and various services like project management, networks deployments, and system integration.
"We are working closely with technology partners like Motorola to provide a suite of advanced mobile applications that are not being offered by any other existing carriers. We believe these services will create a paradigm shift in the mobile experience of the Indian consumer" said, RSP Sinha, chairman and managing director of MTNL.
Source: Agencies
PM flags off first 3G service in India
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) has announced the launch of India's first 3G services. The formal inauguration has been by the prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh and Communications & IT minister A. Raja, at India Telecom 2008.
With the launch of these 3G services, MTNL's customers in the metros of New Delhi and Mumbai will be the first to experience new services like high speed data transfers, video streaming and conferencing, mobile TV, video mobile surveillance, and mobile internet broadband.
MTNL has selected Motorola's next-generation 3G network infrastructure that includes radio access network, core network elements and various services like project management, networks deployments, and system integration.
"We are working closely with technology partners like Motorola to provide a suite of advanced mobile applications that are not being offered by any other existing carriers. We believe these services will create a paradigm shift in the mobile experience of the Indian consumer" said, RSP Sinha, chairman and managing director of MTNL.
Source: Agencies
With the launch of these 3G services, MTNL's customers in the metros of New Delhi and Mumbai will be the first to experience new services like high speed data transfers, video streaming and conferencing, mobile TV, video mobile surveillance, and mobile internet broadband.
MTNL has selected Motorola's next-generation 3G network infrastructure that includes radio access network, core network elements and various services like project management, networks deployments, and system integration.
"We are working closely with technology partners like Motorola to provide a suite of advanced mobile applications that are not being offered by any other existing carriers. We believe these services will create a paradigm shift in the mobile experience of the Indian consumer" said, RSP Sinha, chairman and managing director of MTNL.
Source: Agencies
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Industry welcomes Manmohan Singh taking FM charge
Industry on Sunday welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh taking charge of the Finance Ministry after P Chidambaram was appointed Home Minister, saying Singh as Finance Minister is known as architect of reforms that transformed the Indian economy.
Prime Minister directly involved himself in tackling the impact of the global credit crisis on the Indian economy. Amidst pressure on the exchange rate and crash in the stock market in the wake of the developments in Wall Street, Singh had appointed a committee under his charge to find a way out of the economic challenges.
"At the recent HT Leadership Summit, the Prime Minister had listed several initiatives under consideration of the government. These include fiscal measures like expenditure on infrastructure and monetary steps such as interest rates. All these relate to the Finance Ministry, which has come under his charge directly," Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Secretary General Amit Mitra said.
Mitra said Singh is the only one in the government who has served as Finance Minister, RBI Governor and Chief Economic Adviser.
Singh was also Secretary (Economic Affairs) and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.
Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said the "industrial confidence would get a boost" with the Prime Minister retaining the charge of the Finance Ministry.
Singh had gone to Washington to attend the G-20 meeting called by US President George W Bush, where he sought increased role of the developing countries in the new financial architecture after the global downturn.
Source:PTI
Prime Minister directly involved himself in tackling the impact of the global credit crisis on the Indian economy. Amidst pressure on the exchange rate and crash in the stock market in the wake of the developments in Wall Street, Singh had appointed a committee under his charge to find a way out of the economic challenges.
"At the recent HT Leadership Summit, the Prime Minister had listed several initiatives under consideration of the government. These include fiscal measures like expenditure on infrastructure and monetary steps such as interest rates. All these relate to the Finance Ministry, which has come under his charge directly," Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Secretary General Amit Mitra said.
Mitra said Singh is the only one in the government who has served as Finance Minister, RBI Governor and Chief Economic Adviser.
Singh was also Secretary (Economic Affairs) and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.
Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said the "industrial confidence would get a boost" with the Prime Minister retaining the charge of the Finance Ministry.
Singh had gone to Washington to attend the G-20 meeting called by US President George W Bush, where he sought increased role of the developing countries in the new financial architecture after the global downturn.
Source:PTI
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