The Indian School of Business (ISB) today said that it has launched a Digital Identity Research Initiative (DIRI) to promote an academic study of the Aadhaar card and its implications. According to a statement issued by the ISB, as a part of the initiative, the B-school will engage with researchers and academic institutions in India and abroad to promote an ecosystem of research on the Aadhaar card. The initial phase of the research will cover the impact of Aadhaar in areas like benefit transfer, financial inclusion, healthcare schemes, public distribution systems and policies.

The DIRI has received support from Omidyar Network, an international development consulting organisation, through a grant of USD 2 million for a period of two years, the statement said. ISB Dean, Rajendra Srivastava said that they were confident that the research will be path-breaking and translate into knowledge with immediate application for policy-makers, educators, service providers and entrepreneurs. "In the last 16 years, ISB has earned the distinction of being a research focused B-School and we believe that our research prowess gives us the edge to lead an initiative of this kind," he said.

"I would like to thank Omidyar Network for supporting us in this endeavour which will contribute towards positioning India as a leader in the area of digital identity research," Srivastava said. Sharing his views, UIDAI CEO Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey said, "I am glad to note that the Indian School of Business (ISB) is setting up a research initiative around the important topic of digital identity in India." He said that a debate on the salient issues around digital identity, specifically Aadhaar, will go a long way in strengthening the efforts of the government.