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Founder of Life Line to Business Kris Dev demonstrates on how a biometric linked tracking works in the management and administration set-up. Photo: A R Jaya Kumar

        Of all electoral malpractices, impersonation tops the list and technology can aid in removing this anomaly in the voting process, says Kris Dev, founder of Life Line to Business, an organisation at Adyar that sensitises the public about the usage of the Right to Information Act.

        He spoke to News Today on the need for an unique identification system for each and every individual of this country so that government expenditure for human welfare would not be pilferated or misused by unscrupulous bureaucrats and politicians.

        Excerpts from the Interview:

        Q: Very soon there is going to be a repoll for the Chennai Corporation and what are the chances of malpractices like impersonation occurring and how can such things be redressed?

        A: If we are able to conduct the elections in a free and fair manner most of the problems facing our society will vanish. I have been campaigning for the advocacy of biometric linked citizens ID card, which is like a passport for citizens of this country to avail of any of the services offered by the government, including voting. This will reduce incidents of foul play and alleged malpractices.

        Q: Can you elaborate on that ?

        A: A biometric linked citizens ID card, in which a card is embedded with a microchip, carrying the thumb impression of person. As you may be knowing that the thumb impressions of no two persons can be the same. This is an absolutely foolproof system, which should be used in preparing the voters' roll.

        Q: Have you spoken about this to other forums?

        A: As an RTI campaigner, I have never missed an opportunity to talk about the biometric linked citizen ID card system. Not only in the polls, but from the time of a persons' birth till his death a person will be able to avail of the services of the government if this card comes into practise. But before introducing this system, the government should go for Government Process Re-engineering, wherein all the information regarding a citizen should be stored in a computer under the primary key (the biometry or the thumb impression). Based on the biometry, the various government departments should access information through their computer networks. Similarly, on the users side, after biometric authentication all the information regarding the citizen should be made available. The elimination of human interference in all dealings with the government will help in lowering the corruption levels.

        Q: Can such a system of governance be streamlined?

        A: Yes! As a first step, similar to the issuance of the Electoral Photo Identity Card, the government should launch a drive for biometric tracking of Indian citizens at the village, block, town, city, district and state levels. The biometric tracking along with the citizen's demographic details and a photograph of the person has to scanned and uploaded onto the master server. This exercise would be a resounding success as there is no room for omissions or manipulation. Simultaneously, the government should create a nationwide network so that anyone from Kashmir or Kanyakumari should be able to retrieve information about the central government after his biometric validation.

        Q: Can this improve the delivery of goods and services to the common man?

        A: It definitely can. As Rajiv Gandhi once said, 'If we send an elephant to a village only the tail reaches there,' which comment shows the sordid state of affairs of the government welfare programmes in our country. The biometric linked citizen ID card if introduced would help the government check on the misuse of welfare money.

        Kris Dev can be contacted at 98408 52132, 4211 5995 or by emailing krisdev@gmail.com.