National Population Register (NPR) of India

Unique ID Authority of India (UIDAI) was set up this year to issue smart card UIDs, develop an online database with identity and biometric details of resident Indians and provide enrollment and verification services. This ambitious project is expected to be very helpful in curbing illegal migrations and reinforcing law and order.
UIDs are also seen to be useful in implementing a quota system for public distribution, defining social welfare entitlements, improving overall efficiency of the administration, improving financial inclusion and the list goes on... Why not?
Once every individual in the country is assigned a unique ID and a database is compiled, it could be used for running several schemes. But any linking of UIDs with other databases may heighten the risk of unauthorised access and commercial exploitation of the information.
Given that our data protection laws are not so well established, trading, selling and sharing of personal information are distinct possibilities and meaning of privacy per se may get redefined in the UID era. On a lighter note, call to Ask-me type of helpline may proceed like this.
Agent: Good morning Sir. Welcome to the UID inter-connected, multi-purpose helpline cum city-wide home delivery service. May I know your 16-digit UID please?
Customer: Yes, its 1234-1234-1234-1234.
Agent: Sir, that’s a premium UID number and as per the process we need to check with you if it was allotted to you in normal course or you acquired it by paying a premium!
Customer: Umhh... No, No, I just got it by chance.
Agent: Thank you for the validation Mr Anthony Gonsalvis from Roop Mahal, Prem Gali, Kholi Number 420. We see that your postpaid mobile number 98-1234-1234 is barred for non- payment of bills and you are currently calling from 97-1234-1234.
Customer: Yeah. That is my other phone number.
Agent: May I request you to be quick Sir, because the balance in your prepaid mobile, just a while ago was 130 paise and with your per second billing plan you have less than 2 minutes talk-time left now. How can I help you?
Customer: Well. Could you let me know good Chinese restaurants within 5 minutes from my house?
Agent: Sir, we know you are a Goan, married to Hema from Chennai and as a DINK couple (Double Income No Kid) you have never enquired/ordered for Chinese food anytime in the last one year. Are you really looking for Chinese?
Customer: Yes, we have some guests. And, be quick.
Agent: Right Sir, but the address against your prepaid number is a disputed property in the name of Zenobia Aunty, lying vacant for several years and is different from your UID address. Also, your only car is at the garage for past 3 days. So, kindly confirm the mode of transport and indicate five minutes from which address or simply specify the area that you wish to visit for lunch.
Customer: Tell me about Chinese eateries on MG Road.
Agent: Yes Sir. You could visit ‘Flavours of China’ or ‘Soups and Noodles’ . And Sir, please carry adequate cash with you because your master card is reported “lost” and after your last night party at the Crystal Bar, you are left with Rs 1,357 only as your balance limit on the Visa card, which would not be sufficient to cover a meal for two! The call drops and 97-1234-1234 beeps - an SMS alert from multi-purpose helpline, to immediately recharge the phone to make further calls!

Union Home Minister, while releasing the report card of Ministry of Home Affairs for October 2009 said that Direct data collection for the National Population Register (NPR) is in progress in the coastal villages of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry. The biographical details of more than 20 lakh residents and biometric details of more than 1 lakh residents have been recorded.

Unique Identity Authority of India chairman Nandan Nilekani on Friday said that it would take about a year to issue the first unique identity (UID) number in the country. "According to the present status of the project, the first UID issuance will take 12 to 18 months from the date of sanction of the project in August (2009). It is likely to cover about 600 million people within five years," Nilekani told reporters in Shimla.
He was in Shimla to attend a two-day workshop organised by the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), a premier advanced research institution in the field of humanities and social sciences. "In our country, inability to establish one's identity is one of the biggest barriers preventing the poor from availing government welfare schemes. This problem can be tackled by issuing a unique number to each Indian that can be verified by any public authority to establish the identity of the individual," Nilekani said.
"The number given as the unique identity will be linked to the basic information about the individual and his or her biometric information," he said. Nilekani said the biometric information will help in preventing duplication as the backup system for issuing UIDs would be capable of checking every entry against millions of other entries to ensure that there is no duplication. "In the initial stages of the project, the UID will be voluntary and it will ultimately serve as identity proof for all purposes," he said.