[Reader-list] Karnataka becomes pilot state for ID project - 212

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear Rajen

On the smaller issue of giving Padmashris, like P.Sainath, all journalists
should strictly adhere to the principle of not accepting any government
awards, mainly because they are there to serve the public, and if that means
attacking the govt. of the day for its wrong actions or ideas, so be it.
Awarding journalists by governments will result in journalists adhering to
political parties in power and publicizing their achievements while ignoring
the realities and the injustice meted out during their reign.

On the larger issue of pilot, considering that one such scheme has already
been undertaken, and from what I got from Tehelka and put it up on this
forum, I personally feel this is a waste because for one, that card was not
given the importance it deserves and became 'just another card' like the
ration card and the voter ID card. The second is also about the cost factor,
and the way the Indian govt. is subsidizing the corporates at the expense of
public money. The third reason is also that this card will not differentiate
between those who are 'genuine citizens' of the Indian state and those who
are not.

We have whole lots of other initiatives to be undertaken in our villages and
cities. The urban and rural infrastructure both are gone for a toss. We have
problems of sanitation facilities being unavailable in both the rural and
the urban sector. We have the issue of solving the problem of hunger and
drought and floods occurring on a constant basis across India regularly. We
also have problems in transportation sector, health sector, education
sector, finance sector, highways and railways, electricity, caste-religious
dynamics and problems there, along with other kinds of issues, lack of
political, social and economic freedom for the masses, and all these are
inter-linked in one way or the other.

Therefore, to waste our resources and time on useless ID cards rather than
solving such problems is a shame and should be stopped immediately.

Regards

Rakesh