Goans to have smart cards in three colours

Sandesh Prabhudesai
4 July 2001  

Goa will start issuing smart card to Goans in three different colours from August while also approaching the Election Commission of India to permit to use it as the election ID card.

While the EC is still adamant on the proposal, the move of smart cards is also being opposed locally by the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on the grounds that it would be issued only to the working class.

"I am beginning with the workers. It would be then extended to the entire population of Goa", states chief minister Manohar Parrikar. He claims that the government has taken care of the apprehension expressed by the industry that migrant labour may misuse it.

In order to have checks and balances over the influx of outsiders in the state, the state would issue it in three different colours - Green card for a permanent resident, Orange card for those residing for one to five years and Red card for the floating population, which resides in Goa for around one year.

Though the industry opposes the smart card under the pretext that it has to be actually utilised for e-governance purpose, outgoing GCCI president Dattaraj Salgaoncar also admits that it would make it mandatory to industry to pay all kind of facilities like the ESI, PF and other welfare benefits.

The credit card sized plastic card, which would be made compulsory for the 0.25 million workforce including the 50,000-strong government workforce, will have a photograph, fingerprints, name, address etc on its visible part while storing other details on the embedded microchip.

This would include employment history, health record, bank account details, insurance, dependants, emergency details, driving licence, ration card, attendance as well as state and company benefits. It will also be updated from time to time at various government departments as well company offices and banks.

While extending it to the total 1.3 million population of the tourist state, Parrikar however says the law does not permit him to make it compulsory. "But non-card citizens will be deprived of facilities like health, Mediclaim etc provided to them", he states.

Secondly, the employer will also be fined Rs 10,000 if any worker is not registered for the smart card within three days of his employment. Except agricultural labour, registration of the smart card would be mandatory for all, though he does not know how housemaid could be brought under it.

After the experiment succeeds, within two years, the BJP chief minister wants to replace the card with a higher capacity one, making provision for recording details like challan issued under Motor Vehicles Act as well as payment of salaries etc.

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