Jan 15, 2015
Harshavardhan Purandare @ Asha 22 , Princeton 2013 [email protected]
Part I
About Me
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Who Am I?
I am a social activist working against digital and knowledge divide in the society
I am a learner, creative thinker and doer as Asha volunteer
I believe in ideals of rise of networking information society where human creativity and knowledge are drivers of the economy and society
I make my living by strategizing .
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My Journey with Asha
Leader
Change Maker
Asha Fellow
Asha Mumbai Coordinator
Asha Project Contact Person
Asha Volunteer
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For me , Asha has been
Social Virtual University
Natural Brainstorming Space
Socio-Political Movement
Brand and Power
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Part II
About Struggle
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My Grassroots Activism
Knowledge and Social Networking , IT as medium and method Mass IT literacy among youth , Creation of Knowledge Centers Collective Youth Action to solve the social problems Our Ashoka Fellowship for the idea http://india.ashoka.org/fellow/anil-shaligram
Anil Shaligram “Power becomes Anti People
Technology Mitigates That Problem“
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My Asha Fellowship
Information base of each village Web Interface for villagers Organization against Networks , tapping resources for transformation New Social Leadership of Young People rising through this movement
Fellowship Link : http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=792
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RTI -NREGA
NREGA Meeting in Jawhar Village
Right to Information brings in Information from stakeholders in social development
National Rural Employment Guarantee brings in money and work directly linked to that information
NREGA campaign in backward areas districts of Maharashtra : Hingoli, Parbhani and Nagar
NREGA Work in Admin Reforms Commission as part of Tech Policy Group
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The need of Force for Change
Still there is no Change in Governance yet , people and admin don’t meet at common point
How can the governance culture change to offer services to the people as per their demands
How do young people, communities connect and learn to use government in their social development? And may be, take it over in future?
Activism of Aadhaar era provides some answers!
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Part 3
Aadhaar and Action
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What is Aadhaar ?
Aadhaar is a 12 digit unique identification number (UID) every Indian will have in next five years .
Aadhaar number allocated to each individual store his/ her biometrics data electronically and identifies the person through scanning them, every time it is needed.
Aadhaar will serve as infrastructure tool to target the exact beneficiary for the delivery of social financial benefits in all government programs and facilitate programs like direct benefit transfers
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Although Aadhhar is government program, its role is for creating soft Infrastructure. Anyone can develop these mobile applications , creativity is the only limit
Aadhaar Ecosystem will be key for underprivileged sections to get included in social and governance processes
Nandan Nilekani
“IT is a not a tool, its a strategy for reforms”
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How will Aadhaar Work ?
Aadhaar's environment will work through various Apps http://apps.mgov.gov.in/category.do?id=13 You don’t see much there yet.
These Applications will create the services for the poor and excluded masses, they will avail the new systems who form will form Aadhar’s ecosystem.
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The benefits of various schemes will be directly transferred to people through Direct Benefit Transfer , for which Aadhaar infrastructure is basis
Aadhaar Applications will effect the Banking Inclusion of masses where last mile Banking Services will be available through Micro-ATMs and Banking Correspondents
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Change: Aadhaar and Schooling
Head Count in Jawhar School
Student scholarships programs for various financial needs can be given through Aadhaar Apps
Aadhaar based head count is being undertaken Aadhaar for social auditing for mid day meal schemes
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Change : Aadhaar and mNREGA
mNrega promises to give 100 days of minimum wages to every rural household
Direct benefit transfer of wages of NREGA upon Aadhaar based authentication
The last mile banking services through micro ATMS and Banking correspondents
Aadhar driven systems can be used for social auditing of mNREGA Aadhaar for tapping the demand and creating social networking struggle
with admin where services are not delivered.
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Our Grassroots Aadhaar Campaign
Asha has undertaken Aadhaar Campaign Initiative in Maharashtra :Blocks Mokhada and Jawhar in Thane District Where we have been workingfor few years now. http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=764http://workanhour.ashanet.org/project.php?s=parivartan
continued ..
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What we are doing :
Campaign for every student and every villager getting registered for Aadhaar
Our local Social movement is demanding the Direct Benefit Transfer Services from Block Level Administration
Creating Ideas Debate with Administration to change the way they govern and adopt to Aadhaar reforms
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Our Grassroots Aadhaar Campaign
Creating Aadhaar information base of villagers as a community resource , training young men and women from communities
We are still working to :
Create information base and social apps which are easily usable for community as well as government officers - basis of agitation/negotiation to overcome lack of Aadhaar based services
Create Social Advocacy Group to negotiate with Block offices for faster adoption of Aadhaar Reforms and change the design of way they work
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Campaign extensively by means of networking with many social organization and make them aware of Aadhaar
Creating Aadhaar based schooling programs and mNrega in partnership with the administration
Study and get replicated Successful Aadhaar Pilot Projects elsewhere , move Maharashtra government to create the model of social inclusion using Aadhaar
Requesting Asha Chapters / Other Funding Avenues to email for the completeproposal to [email protected] / [email protected]
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Aadhhar Social Community Leaders
We are creating Aadhaar Social Leaders who can do same old things in new ways , He/ She is the networking point person of the unidentified and excluded people in the communities
His tasks are to create awareness , serve as community’s networking route for the services till Aadhaar Brand is established and everyone starts availing them on their own
Learn along the way and find his ideas to find the opportunity for social entrepreneurship in Aadhaar Ecosystem
Aadhaar ecosystem has to be developed by youth – techies who sense the opportunities , young social leaders and political leaders trying to grow by inclusion of more people in their programs.
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Part 4
Asha and Aadhaar
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Asha can …
Asha volunteers can introduce and promote Aadhaar in all the projects they are associated with .
Asha can conciously create space for services for underprivileged to be implemented and start leveraging government resources for funding / other resource requirements by creating new Aadhar branded social networks
Team of Asha volunteers can develop / support development of Aadhaar Social Apps for individual and collective action by people.
Say , mNREGA Social App which allows you to request and get work on
text message or catches the database of unemployed laborers that becomes basis of initiating new project
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Or We can create our own support a child software where multiple agencies , including government can network to implement the program
Asha can be catalyzing agent in getting Aadhaar based reforms implemented by the government in one block to the level of people’s satisfaction. Asha created Aadhaar Social Model can be the great Game Changer.
Asha volunteers can participate in collaborative effort to create Aadhaar Wiki for Social Movements and break the knowledge sharing barriers .
My teams are developing complete proposals for all above mentioned initiatives , Please write to [email protected] for more information.
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Part 5
Beyond
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So Aadhaar is all about Governance ?
It brings Transparency , Accountability and Efficiency to Gov systems.
Its about Governance , but its more about Inclusion and mobility.
It enriches the soft Infrastructure , catalyzing Social Development
It triggers Digitization , Electronification of many things as it grows
It creates the basis for new system to bridge the digital divide.
It reaches across many sectors of economy and society beyond Govt
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iPolitics for Inclusion
Aadhaar is beginning of iPolitics in India in the era of new Media , virtual world becomes means of inclusion
Youth who is connected to multiple real and virtual communities , uses his knowledge -creativity for wealth creation is coming to the forefront of leadership
It matters more in Developing Country like India where other means of social development have limited Impact
Its more needed when the market experiment of two decades is failing and we are searching for new ideals and not go back to old and defeated ones
Our political slogan in 70s was Roti-Kapda-Makan , In 90s it was Bijlee-Sadak-Panee and now it “Aadhaar-Bank Account-Mobile Phone” [Quote from Nandan Nilekani]
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END
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