How Data is stored and updated in the Digital domain Chapter 2

 How Data is stored and updated in the Digital domain  Chapter 2

We are well used to the way of keeping our personal particulars in printed paper format through file folders. These are physically traceable easily if held in a particular order. Generally the physical folders are labeled in the Alphabetical order of the first name for easy retrieval. Within the folders the particulars are stored in an order such as personal particulars, address and contact numbers, educational qualification, past job experience, promotion particulars and so on. If this order is maintained for all personnel of the organization, it becomes easy to locate a particular data after locating the folder. The way data is stored in digital form in the computer file is no different. The only difference being the way it is identified , stored and retrieved. 

Entity and attributes: While I do not want to conduct a lesson in Data Base Organisation, it is essential to know a few basics as to how we are taken for a ride by IT Companies if we do not have rudimentary knowledge of a few high sounding Computer lexicon . These are very simple to comprehend.

An entity is defined as a piece of data that can be uniquely identified. Supposing you are a School Teacher keeping the marks of students of your class? If you want to store the data, the Student is the identity. He has to be uniquely identifiable so that his marks do not get entered into another student. So you give him a unique identity by giving him a Roll Number. This Roll Number cannot be and will not be given to any other student either now or in future. So this becomes Student ID and the Entity in the marks sheet File. 

What Does Attribute Mean? In general, an attribute is a characteristic of an Entity. In the above example the Name of the Student, his marks in each of the subject he has obtained which  you want to retrieve are the attributes.Each attribute may have different characteristic of the data. For example the Marks will be Numeric Field of maximum three digit long ( assuming he gets centum) , his name may be held in either full name or with initials and so on.   

Let us come to the case a Pensioner. For ease of understanding let us assume "Pensioner" includes Family Pensioner  . A pensioner assumes different identity or becomes a different entity in various domains where his particulars are kept, updated and retrieved.

As a citizen of India, his Entity in Aadhaar Database ( (UIDAI) is the Aadhaar Number. His authentication for verification is by the ten finger prints, two Iris Prints and a Photo. While the Photo verification is manual on production of Aadhaar card, the other two require validation from UIDAI data base through special hardware and software. 

The mobile Number and Email ID as attributes in PPO Database, UIDAI, and Bank Database are basically  meant for communicating with the entity. Even in the case of the mobile number ‘ Email ID linked to Aadhaar, it is primarily meant to ensure that the person gets the Pramaan Life Certificate link to his mobile /ail on successful verification of biometric data. It is per se not mandatory that every pensioner / family pensioner must have email ID. Earlier when the banks were verifying Life Certificate, they themselves would give a printed copy of the Pranaam since many of the elderly pensioners / family pensioners had no access to internet, PC and hard copy printer.

Banks use the Mobile Number for credit/ debit alerts and other banking functions requiring information communication to its customers through SMS. 

The reader should note that neither the bank nor the IT Department is concerned as to how your name is spelt in the Aadhaar Card, Bank Pass Book and whether your photo is matching in PAN with that in Aadhaar or in the bank Passbook. SPARSH is creating a havoc of demography mismatch if the Name is in PPO is not exactly matching with that in Aadhaar! Here one must remember the name in PPO is captured by the data provided by Record Offices of Officers (AG’s Branch) to CDA and Regimental Record Offices provided to PAO. These were captured in English in the Officer’s Record or Sheet Rolls at the time of enrollment based on the documents provided by the individual. Aadhaar came much later especially in respect of senior pensioners. These were captured by establishment of centers by the Union Government with the assistance of respective State governments throughout India. Except in case of a few major metros where it was keyed in English as given by the person, the Aadhaar Data was captured in regional language of the state. In my own case it was captured in Telugu and then converted to English. The Aadhaar cards hold data in bilingual!

Here one must remember that English has only 26 Alphabets where as regional languages based on Devnagari have 128 to 216 phonetic alphabets. So when you convert one from the other the spelling would vary drastically. My name “ Nemam Natarajan Pasupathy” if captured in my native language of Tamil , a translator can convert in English in a variety of ways like “ Nemam Nadarajan Pasupati”, “ Nemam Natarajan Pashupathy” , Nemam Nata Rajan Pasupati” Nemam Natrajan Pasupathy” .

But if my name is correct in my native language of Tamil, how does that matter if it is wrongly phonetically misspelt in English in the Aadhaar? Neither my Bank nor the Income tax department refuses to accept my remittance or payment or my ITR saying that my name is not matching. It is only concerned that My Bank Account Number is linked to My Aadhaar Number and My PAN. ( Bold to emphasise. )

Similarly I may be holding any number of Mutual Fund Accounts/ SIPs/ Term deposits with Banks or Business houses. Do they refuse my applications if the name in English in Aadhar is not exactly matching with that in my Bank account or PAN? A pensioner may be having much more funds invested than what he gets as monthly pension from PCDA P!

The serving defence personnel are paid their monthly salaries by CDA (O) Pune, and PAO(OR) and their entity defined by their personal number linked to the bank account no, Aadhar Number  and PAN! Neither CDA (O) nor PAO (OR) have any issue if the name is not matching between any of the two data! Mind you, PCDA P and these two above are under the same CGDA ! Why then what is good for the goose is not good for the gander? 

It is my firm conviction that SPARSH was developed without proper study of Data elements and their source, Data flow and the agencies, the inter connection of outside agencies like UIDAI, Banks and CPPO! In fact CPPO has matured over the past decades and is handling with aplomb the pension dispersal of all Government pensioners amounting to more than four times that of Armed Forces without a glitch. One of the reasons was payment of Commission by the Defence finance for handling pension of pensioners of Defence Ministry! The logical question is “Are the other Ministries like railways getting their job free of cost?”  If they are incurring additional and infructuous expenditure for pension disbursement of their ministries and departments, why a red flag is not raised by CAG and why the Finance ministry is  keeping quiet? The reason , " My dear Watson", there is no saving by switching over to SPARSH . The CDS cannot ask the Government to procure a Squadron of Apache attack helicopter for the Armed Forces out of these savings accruing due to switch over to SPARSH! 

PPO, Aadhaar, Bank account and PAN are linked . Unless the servers of PCDA, Aadhaar, of all the  banks and of the IT Department are hacked simultaneously, it is impossible to wrongly credit pension or salary nor wrongly create a pensioner. It is only possible if the PCDA introduces a bogus LPC cum Datasheet in the manual or SPARSH system!   In fact PCDA should have requested CPPO organization to help them in development of SPARSH rather than going to a third party who have no clue of the functioning of Armed Forces. Not a single item in the Vision Statement of SPARSH has been met. On the contrary they are statements of disillusion!