back to article India acknowledges its vaccination-booking API excludes millions

India has acknowledged the API it created to facilitate COVID-19 vaccination bookings excludes much of its population and started to allow on-site vaccination bookings to some of its populace. The Co-WIN API was created to allow information about newly available vaccines to be distributed far and wide by third-party developers …

  1. bernmeister

    Caste in Silicon.

    To dismiss hundreds of millions of underprivileged citizens as "some people" is a legacy of the caste system in India The rich and well appointed still look down on the menial workers and poor. As an example, I was installing some equipment at the Broadcasting Corporation of India in New Delhi. I committed two faux pas within one hour of arriving. I was picked up from the hotel in the morning and asked the driver, "Driver, is it far to the IBC building"?. His response was " I am not a driver, I am an engineer sent to pick you up". My second was a result of asking someone for help to lift equipment. I was told "He cant help you, he is the chai wallah". Not extreme examples, but at least a hint that the abolished caste system still lurks in the background of peoples psyches

    1. Trigonoceps occipitalis

      Re: Caste in Silicon.

      I escorted an Indian delegation visiting the UK. Their leader was a Brahmin. His second was "only" in the next top caste. He spent most of the visit apologising for this. Most peculiar because he was by far the best engineer in the group.

      Why did he think it was at all important when in the UK? I have no idea when, or indeed if, this out of date hierarchy will be consigned to the dustbin of history where it so richly belongs.

    2. Raj

      Re: Caste in Silicon.

      When I was in London I had the same problem. The bellhop explained that he only carries luggage and would not take my laundry to have it cleaned.

      Interestingly, engineers, drivers and tea vendors aren't castes.

      The imaginary story about the lead Brahmin and the non-Brahmin sidekicks sounds great when shared between two white people but literally makes no sense to an Indian.

      I mean, you CAN make up a compelling caste-based stories, but the first test is that it needs to sound credible to a local.

      India has 550 million smartphones in use. There are 900 million adults, of whom 130 million are over 60. That's 550/770 million people who can actually use the site. Yes they could do better, and they're fixing it, but it's not all quite evil wicked Brahmins out to screw everyone else.

      Not that you'd ever be able to guess but I'm a Dalit.

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