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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | February 2009 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of India (Union Government) |
| Headquarters | New Delhi |
| Agency executive |
|
The Unique Identification Authority of India (Hindi: भारतीय विशिष्ट पहचान प्राधिकरण), or the UIDAI, is an agency of the Government of India responsible for implementing the envisioned Multipurpose National Identity Card or Unique Identification card (UID Card) project in India. It was established in February 2009, and will own and operate the Unique Identification Number database. The authority will aim at providing a unique number to all Indians, but not smart cards.
The agency is headed by a chairman, holds a cabinet rank. The UIDAI is part of the Planning Commission of India. Nandan Nilekani, a former co-chairman of Infosys Technologies, was appointed as the first Chairman of the authority in June 2009.. R.S Sharma, an IAS Officer of Jharkhand Government cadre has been appointed as the Director General and Mission Director of the Authority. He is known for his best effort in e-Governance project for Jharkhand State and working as an IT secretary he received a number of awards for best Information Technology Trends State in India.
Coverage, goals and logistics
It is believed that Unique National IDs will help address the widespread embezzlement that affects subsidies and poverty alleviation programs such as NREGA. Addressing illegal immigration into India and terrorist threats is another goal of the program.
Most reports suggest that the plan is for each Indian citizen to have a unique identification number with associated identifying biometric data and photographs by 2011. However, other reports claim that obtaining a unique number would be voluntary, but those that opt to stay out of the system "will find it very inconvenient: they will not have access to facilities that require you to cite your ID number."
Government issued IDs are fragmented by purpose and region in India, which results in widespread bribery, denial of public services and loss of income, especially afflicting poor citizens. As the unique identity database comes into existence, the various identity databases (passports, ration cards, licenses, fishing permits, border area id cards) that already exist in India are planned to be linked to it. The Authority is liaising with various national, state and local government entities to begin this process. The Union Labor Ministry has offered its verified Employment Provident Fund (EPFO) database of 42 million citizens as the first database to be integrated into the unique ID system.
Projected costs and business opportunities
One estimate of the cost to completely roll-out National IDs to all Indian residents above the age of 18 has been placed at ₹150,000 crore (US$18 billion). A different estimate puts it at US$ 6 billion. A sum of ₹100 crore (US$12 million) was approved in the 2009-2010 union budget to fund the agency for its first year of existence.
Initial estimates project that the initiative will create 100,000 new jobs in the country, and business opportunities worth ₹6,500 crore (US$760 million) in the first phase.
References
- ^ "Rs.100 crore for Unique Identification Project", The Hindu, 17 February 2009, retrieved 2009-06-26,
... The Unique Identification Authority of India is being established under the aegis of the Planning Commission for which a notification has been issued in January 2009. A provision of Rs.100 crore has been made in the annual Plan 2009-10 for this ...
- ^ "Nilekani to give numbers, ministries to issue cards", The Economic Times, 16 July 2009, retrieved 2009-07-18
- "India gets Info czar in Nilekani", The Statesman, 25 June 2009, retrieved 2009-06-25,
... Nandan M Nilekani ... will be the chairman of the Unique Identification Database Authority of India under the aegis of the Planning Commission ... Mr Nilekani will have the rank and status of a Cabinet minister ...
- http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=49370
- "India Undertakes Ambitious ID Card Plan", The New York Times, 25 June 2009, retrieved 2009-06-26,
... Policy makers see a national ID card as critical to improving the delivery of social services, subsidies and other government programs while also strengthening national security ... the majority of aid earmarked for the poor does not reach them, and it is hard for the government to detect embezzlement and misuse of funds ...
- "Nilekani first chief of Unique 'ID' project", The Assam Tribune, 25 June 2009, retrieved 2009-06-26,
... For long, national identity cards have been advocated to enhance national security, prevent potential terrorist attacks and stop illegal immigration, said officials ...
- ^ "National ID card project", Indiatimes Infotech, 01 July 2009, retrieved 2009-07-01,
... Some estimates suggest that the project will create at least an 100,000 additional jobs in the country in the next three years ... According to the plan, govt proposes to issue a unique identification number to all citizens by 2011 ...
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "ID'ing the masses may solve Indian identity crisis", Associated Press, 17 July 2009, retrieved 2009-07-18,
... For long, national identity cards have been advocated to enhance national security, prevent potential terrorist attacks and stop illegal immigration, said officials ...
- "Nilekani may get EPFO database for UID project", Indian Express, 18 July 2009, retrieved 2009-07-18,
... "This is an opportunity for us to get ID cards for the subscribers of EPFO and ESI. We would like the EPFO subscribers to be first beneficiaries of the Unique Identity Card (UID) project," a senior Labour Ministry official told The Indian Express ...
- "Citizen IDs to cost Rs 1.5 lakh crore", The Times of India, 26 June 2009, retrieved 2009-06-26,
... It is estimated that this gigantic and complex exercise will involve an expenditure of over Rs 1.5 lakh crore ...
- "इंफोसिस से विदा लेंगे नंदन नीलकेणि Nilekani will bid adieu to Infosys", OneIndia Hindi, 25 June 2009, retrieved 2009-06-26,
... इस महत्वाकांक्षी प्रोजेक्ट पर करीब छह अरब डालर का ख़र्च होगा (this ambitious project will cost about $6 billion) ... नीलकेणि को कैबिनेट मंत्री का दर्ज़ा मिलेगा (Nilekani will receive the rank of a cabinet minister) ...
Nandan Nilekani took charge as the chairman of the Unique Identification Database Authority of India on Thursday and started work on the government's ambitious project to provide a single identity number and card to each of the country's 1.17 billion people.
Nilekani, who met with reporters briefly after assuming office at Yojana Bhavan, the headquarters of the Planning Commission here, said the main task of the authority would be to create a database that will help in issuing unique identity cards.
"This will be a nationwide system of authentication," said the 54-year-old co-founder of Infosys Technologies, who was personally selected by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to head the project with the rank of a cabinet minister.
"Identity is important for everyone, especially for the poor. Getting an identity is a tough job. We will provide a database of residents. We will have a very simple database in biometrics. We will only have very basic information," he said.
Nilekani said that the authority will not issue the biometric cards itself -- but the database it is creating will help government agencies to undertake that task.
The main purpose of the project, he said, was to avert the need for multiple proofs of identity for citizens while availing any government service, or for private needs like opening bank accounts or seeking telephone connections.
It is also expected to enhance national security by helping to identify illegal aliens.
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