| |
Infosys Technologies co-chairman Nandan M. Nilekani, 54, has resigned from the top post and the company board following his appointment as the chairperson of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) by the central government.
The UIDAI, an entity under the Planning Commission, has been constituted to provide national identity cards to Indian citizens.
The resignation of Nilekani will be effective from July 9, 2009.
Earlier today, Nilekani, had been invited by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for taking the charge as the UIDAI chairperson. He will be given a cabinet rank also.
The Infosys chairman and chief mentor N. R. Narayana Murthy quoted that all of them were happy about Nilekani getting an opportunity for adding value to India.
“As a company that has always put the interest of society ahead of itself, Infosys will accept his absence with a sense of duty to a larger cause, but with deep sadness at the departure of one of its most illustrious sons. We, the Infoscions, wish him the best in his new assignment," he said.
As co-founder of the $4.66-billion global software major, Nilekani served as a director since the company's inception in 1981.
Under the UIDAI programme, unique identification cards would be provided to citizens by 2011. In the beginning, the cards will be assigned to all voters by building on current electoral roll data.
The card will help citizens avail basic government services like driving licenses, passports and voter identity cards.
