[Reader-list] Bartronics bets big on national I-card project (MNIC)

[Taha Mehmood]

Dear all,

It seems that the national identity card project in India share a special
relationship with 'big events'. If the -Kargil War- was instrumental in
initiating the process for a National Identification Card then it seems that
the recent Mumbai terror attacks is going to bring good news to the
industry. Please read the story below about Bartonics, a Hyderabad based
company and its expectations of a big order from the Indian Government
regarding the manufacture of National identity cards.

Regards

Taha

Bartronics bets big on national I-card project
KV Ramana
Tuesday, December 09, 2008  03:26 IST

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1212455

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad-based Bartronics India is pinning hopes on the
government's Multipurpose National Identity Card (MNIC) project for the
biggest revenue boost it can ever get.

The MNIC project was initiated during the National Democratic Alliance
regime in 2002 but has been moving at a snail's pace due to bureaucratic
reasons. However, after the Mumbai terror attacks, the project is all set to
become a priority for the government.
Sudhir Rao, managing director, Bartronics, said, "We are expecting an
announcement shortly on the project, which would be the largest the company
can ever expect." The project involves issuance of a smart card to every
citizen of India, with all the data about the individual stored on a
microprocessor. The project is expected to be completed in five years.

According to Rao, Bartronics has been involved in the project since its
initial days and had worked closely with the National Informatics Centre on
setting the basic standards for the card. "As per government requirements,
each card would cost about Rs 57 and that, multiplied with India's total
population, would be the project cost," he said.

The project has already been rolled out on a pilot basis in 14 districts.
The card's chip will contain biometric data about the cardholder, including
fingerprints and iris info and will have the capacity to hold this data for
10 years.

Though IT majors such as TCS may participate in the project once it's
announced, Bartronics feels it has an edge due to its early involvement.
"Even if we get the entire project, it will be difficult for us to manage
it. The roll-out, which is complex and involves high levels of manpower,
needs many participants," Rao said.