Indian government meets on biometrics in new jobs program
21 October, 2010
category: Biometrics, Health
Members of the Indian government’s Ministry of Rural Development have met with various state government representatives and bidders from the information and communication sector to discuss aspects of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and how biometrics could play a role in furthering its success, according to a Live Mint article.
The MGNREGS is a program launched in 2006 designed to guarantee at least 100 days of manual work to at least one member of each of the 35.2 million qualifying households in rural parts of India.
The reason the ministry is looking into biometric technology to enhance the program is for better identification of the recipients of the social program as it has been accused of being taken advantage of by fraudulent cards and ghost workers.
The tech companies that put in bids for the new biometric aspects of the system will be expected to provide hardware and personnel for enrollment, attendance tracking and record keeping. Additionally, bidders will be required to provide services and technology in accordance with other Indian government biometric programs such as the national biometric ID program called UID.
Read the full story here.