Nandan Nilekani to head new Technology Advisory Group

The government today proposed the setting up of a technology advisory group to be headed by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) chairman Nanadan Nilekani for creating reliable and tamper-proof IT projects.The announcement was made by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in his budget speech. "A Technology Advisory Group for Unique Projects (TAGUP) is proposed to be set up under the chairmanship of Nandan Nilekani for creation of reliable and secure IT projects," Mukherjee said. He said an effective tax administration and financial governance system calls for creation of IT projects which are reliable, secure and efficient. He listed certain IT projects such as the Tax Information Network, New Pension Scheme, National Treasury Management Agency, Expenditure Information Network and the ambitious good and service tax.He said the group will look into the various technological and systemic issues.Nilekani, one of the founders of Indian IT giant Infosys, had left his job last year to join the government in its ambitious plan of rolling out a 16-digit unique identification number to all residents of the country. Such a large exercise has never been undertaken in any part of the world and the UID will see a close collaboration of private as well as government sector.