Sabeer Bhatia Critiques Aadhaar, UPI as Costly, Inefficient
Sabeer Bhatia, the co-founder of Hotmail, has sparked a debate in India’s digital landscape by criticizing the country’s Aadhaar and UPI systems. In a recent podcast, Bhatia expressed his concerns about the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of these projects, suggesting that cheaper and smarter technologies could have been used instead.
Aadhaar, India’s biometric identification program, has been lauded for its ability to provide unique identification numbers to over a billion citizens. However, Bhatia believes that the project’s costs have far outweighed its benefits. He estimates that the total cost of implementing Aadhaar has been around $1.3 billion, which he terms as “ill-spent”.
Bhatia’s criticism of UPI, India’s unified payments interface, is equally scathing. UPI has been touted as a revolutionary payment system, allowing users to make transactions seamlessly using their mobile devices. However, Bhatia argues that UPI’s success has been overhyped, and that it has failed to live up to its promises. He believes that the system is slow, cumbersome, and prone to errors, making it an inefficient way to make payments.
According to Bhatia, the problems with UPI can be attributed to its outdated technology. He suggests that voice and video recognition could have been used to make transactions more secure and efficient. This technology, which is already being used in various applications, has the potential to revolutionize the way we make payments.
Bhatia’s criticism of Aadhaar and UPI has sparked a heated debate in India. Many have defended the projects, arguing that they have brought numerous benefits to the country. However, Bhatia’s comments have also resonated with many who have expressed frustration with the slow pace of these projects and the lack of transparency in their implementation.
It’s worth noting that Bhatia’s criticism is not without merit. Aadhaar has faced numerous controversies, including concerns about data security and the potential for misuse of biometric data. UPI has also faced issues with transaction failures and security breaches. Bhatia’s suggestion that voice and video recognition could have been used to improve these systems is not entirely unfounded.
Despite the controversy surrounding his comments, Bhatia has clarified that he meant no offense to the people who worked on these projects. He has urged better resource use and has questioned the expertise of those who designed these large-scale digital projects. His comments serve as a reminder that technology should be used to improve people’s lives, not just to showcase innovative solutions.
The debate sparked by Bhatia’s comments highlights the need for more nuanced and informed discussions about technology and its applications. It also underscores the importance of critically evaluating the costs and benefits of large-scale digital projects. As we move forward in the digital age, it is essential that we prioritize efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency in our technological endeavors.
Sources:
https://ascendants.in/founders-corner/sabeer-bhatia-aadhaar-upi-criticism/
