Industry

Vodafone Fined

The Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum recently fined Vodafone Essar a sum of
Rs 20,000 for activating a cheap and vulgar caller tune on a female lawyers
mobile phone without her consent. A caller tune, bheegi bheegi raton mein, was
activated on Neena Chakravortys mobile phone in December 2007, shattering her
professional personality as it carried anonsense message of love and lust.
She claimed that the caller tune had been activated at a time when she was
representing actor Sanjay Dutts wife Rhea Dutt in their divorce proceedings.

Indians to Have Unique ID

The Department of Information Technology has announced that an Empowered
Group of Ministers (EGOM) headed by the external affairs minister Pranab
Mukherji has approved the establishment of a Unique Identity Authority for all
residents of the country. The UID Authority will be set up under the Planning
Commission. The approval was accorded at a meeting of the EGOM held on November
4, 2008.

Paperless US Immigration

The Bush administration has launched a major overhaul of the nations
immigration services agency, selecting an industry consortium led by IBM to
reinvent how the government handles about 7 mn applications each year for visas,
citizenship and approval to work in the United States. The $500 mn effort plans
to convert US Citizenship and Immigration Services case-management system from
paper-based to electronic. If successful this mission could reduce backlogs by
at least 20%.