MGRM ties up with Netherlands’ Bell ID for e-governance
21 Jul 2009
New Delhi-based e-governance firm MGRM Net has tied up with Bell ID, an identity card solutions provider headquartered in the Netherlands, to tap emerging opportunities in e-governance and identity management verticals in India.
The joint venture will become operational in the next quarter or as soon as the necessary formalities are completed, MRGM said in a statement. "This is a 50:50 joint venture, and combines the strengths of both MGRM and Bell ID," said MGRM group founder K V R Murthy.
While the Rotterdam-based Bell ID is a technology-leader in card application and is involved in managing identification programmes across diverse geographies, MGRM has developed and managed research-based integrated IT applications in different domains in India.
Bell ID chairman Pat B Curran said the joint venture would explore smart card related opportunities secured by biometric applications. Both partners saw this venture as a significant investment initiative.
The central government has proposed a single national ID for Indian citizens to ensure the efficient delivery of public services, and help government identify illegal immigrants more easily.
It created a national agency – the Unique Identification Authority - in February, earmarking an initial corpus of $20 million. The massive exercise, which has set an ambitious goal of rolling out 100 million cards in the next three years, has evoked interest among bio-metric systems providers.
