This document discusses the need for a centralized government database and identification system in India. It notes that currently, citizens have a variety of identification documents like ration cards, driving licenses, and passports, but these need to be frequently updated when addresses change. A centralized database accessed through a photo ID card could help solve this issue by allowing citizens to update their address in one place. This database would store key personal details like name, address, photo, and date of birth. The card would serve as primary identification and could be used for activities like travel reservations, entry to public places, and security screening given India's large population.

1. DATABASE IN INDIA
It is anybody’s experience that, whenever address proof or photo id is required,
we have variety of options, like a ration card, company id, driving license, voter card, pan
card, etc. Even domestic LPG receipt, water tax paid receipt, electricity bill, telephone
bill, bank pass-book are accepted (as address proof). More often than not, debit and credit
cards with photo and signature are helpful as ids. Whereas passport is more authentic
than other documents..
An id means identification of a person when called for. A person needs to be
identified by his - name, father’s name, address, recent photograph, signature, date of
birth etc. In most of the cases all the data may not be available in a single card. The
requirement of data, depends on purpose of identification, and the context.
Many citizens are not aware that Post offices (not all), also issue id cards if
applied for one. Even postal department will not bring awareness among the public. May
be for this reason, there will no rush for the same.
It is bit in-convenience for those who need to shift houses, for various reasons, in
the same town / city. What is really required is, the change of address has to be intimated
to one particular Govt department, which in turn provides the data required by a
particular office / organization. That should be the main data base entity for any given
point of time. Data required by any party has to approach one particular Govt. dept which
is most authentic and up-dating data in shorter interval of time.
For instance, every time person shifting house, can not up-date his address in his
driving license (paying official and un-official fees). Passport once issued is valid for ten
years and who can expect him to stay in the same address all ten years. It is also not
possible to up-date address in the passport every time house is shifted.
There should be a solution for this.
A Govt. or quasi - Govt. dept should up-date data given by applicant, for a
nominal fee and a card be issued to that effect printing his address on a photo
card, which includes his signature, date of birth, his father / husband’s name etc.
The new card be exchanged with old one. The card should bear a unique number
which is permanent for each citizen. The card reader should give all data needed,
when swiped or its unique number is fed to a system on net. That number need be
quoted in all entry tickets, entry gates, including cinema halls, restaurants,
railway reservations, air tickets, may be in moffusil services too. This is an
excellent idea security –wise also which is very essential in present day context.
A nation with 110+ crore population, security is the need of the hour to fight
against terrorism. One such data base is a must.
---- Karanam’s Infinity