The GeoAmida, a low cost computing device previously known as the Simputer, that BSE listed Geodesic Ltd had acquired in 2005 has got a new lease of life with India's increased focus on e-governance and plans for a National ID project. With the Indian government now focusing on e-governance, the partnerships that the company has struck and the deployments already in place, Geodesic is rather bullish on the segment, and the GeoAmida. Q1-10 Details: Results | Earnings Call | Presentation What's rather interesting is that Geodesic had written off the entire acquisition cost of around Rs. 225 million (or Rs. 22.5 crores) in 2007-08, only for the project to be resurrected. During a recent earnings conference call, the company outlined the opportunity for the Simputer over the next three years: 1. National ID Project: Geodesic has its fingers crossed in this case. The entire pilot of National Identity Card Project was done on the Amida, according to (pdf) Geodesic MD Kiran Kulkarni, who thinks the company is possibly at the forefront after a "successful pilot". The GeoAmida unit was designed on the basis of the Amida Simputer, with a smart card, biometric senser and a camera. 2. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA): The rural employment guarantee plan is the reinstated Congress Governments pet project. Geodesic did not disclose exactly what kind of an opportunity they see in case of the NREGA. They did say that a deal has been struck with a "large Systems Integrator" to be used for the NREGA initiative in Eastern India. 3. E-governance services…
