By Mr. G M Sastry
When I visited Katuru (very near to
my native place Vuyyuru) on 4th Nov 2012 for the water quality testing project,
I could notice two totally contrast and
opposite things- exactly situated opposite to each other. One is old and
ancient abandoned and dilapidated house.
Just opposite to the above building,
a modern technological phenomenon aiding the welfare schemes of the government
aimed at senior citizens and other welfare beneficiaries was happening every
month. It took me literally by surprise when I saw what was happening.
Opposite to the old abandoned house
is the Grampanchayt office/Secretariat of Katuru. On that day (4 Nov), the
Gramsevika entered the premises of GP secretariat and several senior citizens,
widows, were waiting along with some
specially abled/challenged. From her handbag, she took out a small machine and
placed it on the old table in the GP office. On the side of the machine, she
placed her mobile.
One by one the senior citizens
started showing their id cards. She fed the id no into the mobile and
immediately the senior citizen’s details are retrieved by the mobile including
his/her photo and other details. She pushed some other buttons on the mobile
for further verification. Then she asked the beneficiary to put his/her fingers
on the small machine for scanning. It took less than a minute to scan the
fingerprint and then match with bio-metric database. Once it was approved by
the system, the small machine printed out the receipt in duplicate. One copy
was handed over to the person along with Rs 200 from the handbag of the
Gramsevika.
All this happened in less than may
be 4 to 5 minutes. There was a good crowd before the gramsevika. Normally it
happens in the frist week of a month for about 4 days. For those persons, who
are identified for the pension scheme and cannot come to the GP
secretariat/common place, the Gramsevika goes to their house, completes the
formalities and distributes the cash!
Modern technology aiding the welfare
schemes aimed at old/senior people!
I am not opening up a debate whether
welfare pension is good or not or the amount of Rs 200 is sufficient or not.
Simply amazed by the usage of the technology. Of course the next step would be
cash transfers to the pensioner’s bank accounts if the proposed financial
inclusion in rural areas is not a mirage!
Technology can be effectively used
by harnessing its true potential and thus to reduce the side effects of able
workers’ migration to urban areas on their dependant senior family members, who
are not productive by modern understanding!
May be this is called social
innovation!
As Shared by Mr. G M Sastry , http://in.linkedin.com/in/gmsastry
Email: gmsastryhyd@gmail.com
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
