Data democratisation – ensuring transparency in disaster relief

Data democratisation – ensuring transparency in disaster relief

@tecnologytimes
NADRA has come up with an ATM card solution known as Watan Card for flood-affected people. Watan in Urdu language means homeland. The methodology devised by NADRA not only aimed at preserving the self respect of the people of Pakistan but also at empowering the vulnerable eligible flood victim. Tariq Malik, Deputy Chairman, NADRA, shares his views

What is your professional and academic background?

Tariq Malik: I had been appointed in strategic management role as Deputy Chairman by board members of National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) in May 2008.

I have 18 years of strategic management experience in implementing high profile citizen centric technology solutions for the governments of the United States of America, Canada, Germany, Bahrain and Pakistan. He is well-known in the project and technology management as successful CIO, Senior Consultant Information Systems.

I have the honor to work as IT -Advisor of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ms. Benazir Bhutto. I have done Masters in International Management from Heidelberg, Germany, after having completed Masters in Computer Science. As professional, I participated as guest speaker and attended various executive leadership programs offered by John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Massachusetts, Stanford University, California, and American Management Association, USA.

How do you see the gravity of situation cropped up after natural disaster in Pakistan?

PAKISTAN is experiencing what looks like one of the most far-reaching humanitarian and economic crises in living memory. People of Pakistan, Federal and Local governments, banks, manufacturing sector, government agencies, crops, hopes and overall confidence have all taken a yet another pounding by the devastating floods.

A comparative study of the current flood in Pakistan with other world over disasters will help one realize the nature of calamity and will clarify the perpetuity of effort required to resolve it. With reference to population affected in this flood, the statistics clearly show that the largest number of people affected was in current flood flash as compared to any other natural disaster in the world. For example the number of people affected in Katrina (Aug 2005) was 500,000 and in Tsunami (Dec 2004) were 2,273,723 however the number of people affected in flood 2010 in Pakistan are 20,251,550.

According to the area affected this flood shares the largest disaster stricken area i.e, 132,000 sq/km while area affected in Haiti earthquake (Jan 2010) was 13,226 sq/km. House hold damage in this disaster is also the largest i.e, 1,884,708 which also accedes from Katrina i.e, 200,000.

As if fighting with terrorist as frontline state in war against terror was not enough, the poor nation was hit with yet another disaster – the mother of all floods! But the resilient nation of Pakistan stood up to this challenge as well. It reminded me of my favorite management theorist introduced to me by my Harvard Professor –Mr. Niccolo Machiavelli (circa 1530). Machiavelli would have reminded Pakistanis, that they should never, never, never waste a perfectly good crisis. The crisis and disaster offers an opportunity to the people of Pakistan to unite as one nation, to look towards the future of their children and rebuild Pakistan!

How do you highlight the role of NADRA in the large-scale cash-assistance program?

National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA), as usual volunteered itself to offer its services to assist government in bringing transparency in Cash Assistance Program in lieu of its Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Strategy for the flood victims. Since NADRA possesses the world largest multi-biometric citizens database, with adult registration swelling to 92% of the population (82.2 Million ID cards produced), and NADRA’s prior successful endeavors of using smart cards for cash disbursements, it was logical for government to task NADRA to come up with another smart card solution for flood victims.

NADRA immediately contacted world agencies to research the best role models or benchmarks, or best practices for a transparent cash assistance program that is easy for public to understand.

What is the expertise of NADRA to cope up with difficult challenge of funds distribution?

Since, in my pervious life, I was personally involved in providing relief services for Katrina Storm (in USA), therefore, I knew the flawed strategy implemented there so that was a big no no! There were problems with the systems implemented in Haiti, Tsunami and other relief efforts that involved cash. To my surprise NADRA’s last effort in using its database to win hearts and minds of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs, an aftermath of Pakistan Army’s successful operation to flush out terrorist from Pakistan’s Swat and Malakand Region) was the role model for the world. NADRA distributed Rs.10 billion to 400,000 war-effected peace loving displaced families (who refused to side with terrorists propaganda) using biometric technology in short span of time. Economist (August 22, 2009) regarded it one of the best strategy for crisis management and relief effort. IDWORLD Congress award of outstanding world achievement was conferred to me last year was tantamount of the services of NADRA’s successful strategy. So far, the audit conducted on the money disbursed has not come up with any earth shattering observation. Not a single penny was misappropriated. Similarly another cash assistance program based on Smart Card Technology is becoming very popular in World Bank and United Nation’s circle is Benazir Smart Card Program. The financial assistance program is aimed at poorest of the poor based on Poverty Scorecard survey. Each eligible beneficiary is entitled to a chip based Benazir Smart Card which can be used at chain of partner shops to withdraw cash assistance. Powered by NADRA database, chip based smart card, and biometric technology, there is zero chance that somebody can hoodwink the system due to the validation checks enforced in system.

It would have been impossible to roll out smart card solutions en masse had NADRA not produced 82.2 Million ID cards. Both the programs reflect a new trend in the world and that I call ’data democratization.” No longer governments just stack citizens basic information, rather at times, when national security is at stake, life and well being of society is threatened and transparency and public confidence is questioned then good governance and effective service delivery demands solutions that are built on public data, provided privacy and confidentiality of citizens personal information is guaranteed!

What are the efforts of NADRA in providing relief to flood affectees?

In light of prior experience, NADRA came up with an ATM card solution known as WATAN Card for flood affected people. Watan in Urdu language means Homeland. The methodology devised by NADRA not only aimed at preserving the self respect of the people of Pakistan but also at empowering the vulnerable eligible flood victim. Twenty thousand rupees to the heads of the effected families are given as cash assistance in the first phase by handing over by using WATAN CARD which is a sort of ATM card.

NADRA has tried to make the procedure as simple as possible keeping in view the cross transparency issue. Provinces (local governments) notify flood affected area and then NADRA extracts a list of head of families, which are transmitted to a partner bank, who opens a virtual account of the beneficiary. Since NADRA’s database has a capability to spring up the family tree of a family, it is easy to pull up the list of head of family belonging to the provincially notified flood affected area.

The eligible beneficiary is then issued WATAN CARD from partner banks after some multi-biometric checks (1:1 finger prints verification and facial recognition). Some validation checks are also applied on database level to ensure transparency.

What is the mechanism and strategy NADRA towards Watan Card distribution?

The operation has kicked in few weeks ago after NADRA designed, developed and deployed its biometric software application at 22 distribution sites in just two weeks. Till writing of this article, we have distributed more than 1.2 million WATAN CARDS. Similarly NADRA has turned down successfully fraudulent attempts of many people to hoodwink the system because of its multi biometric and centralized citizen database.

In a global digital economy, governments need to use biometric technology in tandem with Information Technology solution to come up citizen centric crises management or disaster management solutions. Yet leaders of various economies fail to drive enough value from democratization of data fearing data security and privacy issues. Biometric Technologies coupled with Smart Card technology ensures citizen’s private data is not compromised and if the citizen gives his/her consent to use data to qualify for a social service that government wants to dispense then there are ways to securely do the same. It’s time to recognize that if democratization of data in form of biometric technology backed with National Citizens Database (or Civil Registry) is not a strategic asset in your government, it’s a strategic liability, as in absence of it transparency becomes the first causality!