A number of smart card projects such as the UID, E-passports, EPFO, etc have been delayed or cancelled due to problems like lack of funds, technical issues, legal wrangling, etc.

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Bureaucratic and Technical Hurdles Constraining the Growth of the
Indian Smart Cards Market
A number of smart card projects such as the UID, E-passports, EPFO, etc have been delayed or
cancelled due to problems like lack of funds, technical issues, legal wrangling, etc.
A new study published by IMARC Group, one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms, finds
that despite strong growth in recent years, the Indian smart cards market is being constrained by several
bureaucratic and technical delays. Findings from the report suggested that a number of government
projects such as the UID, E-passports, EPFO, etc have been delayed or cancelled due to problems like
lack of funds, technical issues, legal wrangling, etc
The report found that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) had initially decided to issue
Aadhar numbers via smart cards but later cancelled its plans as it was constrained by the policy decision
of enrolling only 200 Million people, after which the National Population Register (NPR), being
implemented by the Registrar General of India alongside the Census 2011 exercise, would take over.
Similar to the UID project, the Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) project has also been
plagued by several bureaucratic and technical delays. This project was supposed to start from 2001,
when the (EPFO) tied up with Siemens Information System (SISL) to offer smart cards to all its
subscribers. Seven years on, SISL was fired by the EPFO Central Board of Trustees on Jan 2008 for
failing to implement the project. A few days later the National Informatics Centre was asked to take over
the project. Recent discussions with EPFO employees suggested that the implementation of this project
was still a very long way to go. Similar to the UID and EPFO projects, The Indian E-passport project has
also witnessed several delays in its implementation. E-passports were initially planned to be issued to the
general population in May 2009 but have so far failed to meet deadlines on several occasions.
IMARC’s new report entitled “Indian Smart Cards Industry Market Report & Forecast 2011-2016”
gives a deep insight into the Indian smart cards market. The research study serves as an analytical as
well as a statistical tool to understand the market trends, structure, drivers, restraints and the outlook of
the market till 2016. This report can serve as an excellent guide for investors, researchers, consultants,
marketing strategists, and all those who are planning to foray into Indian smart cards market in some form
or the other.
What We Have Achieved in this Report
 Comprehensive situation analysis of the Indian smart cards market and its dynamics.

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 Identified all application segments/sub-segments and quantified their current and future market
potential.
 Provided a robust long range value and volume forecast for all segments and sub-segments.
 Provided an understanding of key drivers and restraints and their impact on current and future
market performance.
Smart Card Application Segments and Sub-segments Covered in this Report
 Telecommunication
 National Population Registry Project
 Financial Services
 Credit & Debit Cards
 Financial Inclusion
 PAN Cards
 Travel Identity
 Driving License
 Registration certificates
 Passports
 Automatic Fare Collection
 Metro Rail Projects
 Bus projects
 Indian Railways
 Healthcare
 Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna
 Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme
 Public Distribution System
Focus of the Analysis for Each Segment & Sub-segment
 Segment/Sub-segment Overview
 Smart Card Implementation Scenario
 Historical and Future Smart Card Volume Demand
 Historical and Future Smart Card Value Demand
Focus of the Analysis for Each Segment & Sub-segment
 Segment/Sub-segment Overview
 Smart Card Implementation Scenario
 Historical and Future Smart Card Volume Demand
 Historical and Future Smart Card Value Demand
Methodology

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Initial Exploration of the Indian Smart Cards Market: Conducted secondary and primary market
research to complement/enhance our current knowledge and define key market segments and sub-
segments.
Qualitative Market Research: Interviewed various industry stakeholders to gain a comprehensive insight
on all major segments and sub segments. This included understanding key metrics and events such as
smart card requirements, current and future demand, implementation timelines, success and risk factors,
costs, etc.
Quantifying the Current &Future Market Potential: Consolidated our results to quantify the value and
volume potential of smart cards in each segment and sub-segment.
Validating Our Results: Collaborated with industry stakeholders to validate our results and findings.
Information Sources
Information has been sourced from both primary and secondary sources:
 Primary sources include industry surveys and face to face/telephone interviews with industry
experts.
 Secondary sources include proprietary databases and search engines. These sources include
company websites and reports, books, trade journals, magazines, white papers, industry portals,
government sources and access to more than 4000 paid databases.
To buy the complete report or to get a free sample, please contact:
IMARC Group Asia
Email: apac@imarcgroup.com
Phone: +91-120-425-6531
IMARC Group North America
Email: america@imarcgroup.com
Phone: +1-631-791-1145
To know more please visit: http://www.imarcgroup.com

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