Smart move for smart
cards
Sandesh Prabhudesai
7 May 2001
Goa has decided to issue a smart card to
the entire workforce, working in the government or private
establishment in the tourist state, by November this year.
A credit sized plastic card having an embedded
microchip, the smart card will carry the photograph and fingerprints
of the person as well as all other related information.
Taking steps in this regard, the state administration
has already opened 14 centres to register the details, while
making it mandatory for all the registered firms to supply
the information and getting their workforce registered for
the smart card.
Chief minister Manohar Parrikar claims that
the experiment is being carried out for the first time in
the country and the card would be of multipurpose use.
Information on the small chip would include
personal particulars and address, employment history, health
record, bank account details, insurance, dependants, emergency
details, driving licence, ration card, election Id, attendance
and access as well as state and company benefits.
"Besides utilising it at various places,
it would also help us in ascertaining the total workforce
as well as figures of unemployed and the underemployed", states
Parrikar.
Against its population of 1.3 million, Goa's
total labour force is estimated at around 0.25 million. Over
50,000 of it is engaged in the state administration itself
while large number of migrants have also been employed in
the tiny state.
Besides personalisation of the card at initial
stage, it would also be updated from time to time at various
government departments, company offices, banks, health dispensaries,
RTO offices and even at the fair price shops.
The government also proposes to appoint inspection
staff, equipped with hand-held devices, helping them to read
the card and even make updated entries about the checks carried
out.
Besides setting up two district-level servers,
the state also plans to set up one centralised server in Panaji
to manage the smart card database.
Your
Comments Please
