Questionable identity?

• 'One Nation One Card' concept resurfaces with same
• Sourav Ganguly as brand ambassador, but with different promoter!

Hyderabad: The much-publicized 'One Nation One Card' concept, which disappeared into thin air six month ago after its promoter Ch V K Sai Kumar landed in jail on the allegations of financial fraud, has resurfaced on Friday, albeit with a different promoter! Interestingly, Sourav Ganguly, former Indian cricket captain, who endorsed the product then after reportedly charging a hefty fee, came forward to act as brand ambassador for the new company called One Gateway Techno Services Private Ltd and was also present at its launch event in the city on Friday. One Nation One Card (ONOC), launched by Sai Kumar amid much fanfare in August 2012, was stated to enable individuals to club their cards including debit and credit cards into one card so that they would not be required to carry all the cards with them. However, the business venture got shelved after Sai Kumar was arrested in October 2012 on the allegations that he siphoned off `55.47 crore fixed deposits of AP State Minorities Finance Corporation (APSMFC). He allegedly funneled some of the money into the venture. "Our business model offers what is promised by the One Nation One Card and much more because we will enable individuals access all of their the identities like credit cards, driving licence, passport, UDAI, etc. However, we have no association with the said business venture. Ours is the India's first integrated identity management company that will address `10,000-crore market opportunity to provide solutions for issues relating to multiple identities," Vishwanath Sivaswamy, MD and CEO, One Gateway Techno Services, told media after launching the company in the city. The company will soon start rolling out identity management solutions for consumers, government and enterprises. "We will start with six metros including Hyderabad before rolling out in other areas," he said. Though Sivaswamy admitted that the company had not entered into any agreement with state governments or Centre, he could not explain properly how the company could obtain approvals from regulators on the issues related to handling of financial data pertaining to debit and credit cards. He however said that he was talking to some government authorities. "We have talked to Road Transport Authority (RTA) in Hyderabad which is willing to use our services. We are doing a pilot project there," he claimed. When asked how much the company would charge for the services, he said the charges would be decided after taking feedback from the prospective customers. "As per our estimates, there are nearly 300 million people who will require these services in the country. Initially, we are targeting seven to eight per cent, which translates into 25-30 million individuals," he explained. The company will need Rs 10-crore investment to achieve initial targets, he added.

Sourav Ganguly's association raises eyebows Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly's endorsement of One Gateway Techno Services raised many eyebrows because One Nation One Card which also offered similar services ran into troubles and its promoter was jailed. Interestingly, the southpaw was brand ambassador for that business venture too. "I read about One Nation One Card issue in the papers. Employees in a company or those associated with it are in no way responsible if management lands in trouble. Anyway, it's a past issue and we have to move forward," Ganguly said.