India Set to Launch UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION CARD soon
The Government on Thursday set in motion the process of providing a Unique Identification Number(UID) to India’s citizens. The Union Cabinet has appointed the Infosys Chief Nandan Nilekani as the Chairman of National Authority for Unique Identity.
UID will be the equivalent of the social security number in the US. The prime purpose of this number was to track individuals’ accounts. It has since come to be used as an identifier for individuals within the United States.
The closest India has come to this is the Permanent account number (PAN), issued by the Income Tax Office, for purposes of tracking income and income taxes. It has now gained use as a means of identification for activities like getting a phone connection.
Each Unique Identification cards has microprocessor chip with a memory of 16KB which include detail Information regarding Name, Sex, Father’s Name, Address, Marital Status, Photo, Identification Mark and Finger Biometrics that will be based on sophisticated application called SCOSTA, a secured electronic device. Through this card, the citizens will be able to avail basic government services like driving licenses, passports and voter identity cards.
The UID scheme would ensure that lacuna in the system is removed and benefits reach the sections they are meant for. It would be provided to citizens by 2011. Initially, the cards will be given to all voters listed in the electoral roll data.
Jayesh Bellani
Executive: Fraud Management System
