National Population Register (NPR) of India

The government has set in motion the process of providing a Unique Identification Number to India's citizens and has appointed Infosys Technologies co-chairman Nandan Nilekani as head of the authority for this purpose. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited Nilekani to become chairperson of the new organization. Nilekani will enjoy the rank of a cabinet minister, and will also cease to be board member of Infosys, the company he founded along with NR Narayanmurthy and six others in 1981. Here’s looking into what UID project is all about.

1. 
   
   The UID (Unique Identity) project is one of the most ambitious projects of the UPA government. The move to set up the UID Authority of India (UIDAI), under the aegis of the Planning Commission, is aimed at providing a unique identity to the targeted population of the flagship schemes to ensure that the benefits reach them.


2. 
   
   The unique identification number would ensure that any lacuna in these schemes is removed so that the benefits do not reach those they are not meant for. Also, the UID programme will provide an identity card to every citizen to establish citizenship and address security concerns.


3. 
   
   The authority will identify the targeted groups for various UPA government's various flagship programmes. It will work in close coordination with Home Ministry's National Population Register through the Registrar General of the Census, in accordance with the Indian Citizenship Act. The flagship schemes of the UPA include the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, National Rural Health Mission and Bharat Nirman.


4. 
   
   According to Ambika Soni, information and broadcasting minister, "The authority shall have the responsibilities to lay down plans and policies to implement the Unique Identification Scheme (UID), shall own and operate the Unique Identification Number database and be responsible for its updation and maintenance on an ongoing basis."


5. 
   
   The identity cards proposed will be smart cards which will carry information of each and every individual, his/her finger biometrics as well as a photograph. A unique National Identity Number will be assigned to each individual including those below 18 years of age. The government will spend around $6 billion on developing smart cards apart from a mammoth citizen database.


6. 
   
   Karnataka has reportedly been chosen as the pilot state to implement the project. The National Authority for Unique Identity (NAUI), set up under the Planning Commission, has asked the state to implement the programme on a small scale to co-ordinate data on people, from different agencies. The programme in Karnataka is being carried out by the Department of e-governance, which will be identifying districts, both urban and rural, to gather the databases and check their compatibility.


7. 
   
   The broad idea is to get all the births, deaths, marriages, passport data, bank account data, ration card data into one database. This will help all these offices to just tap into the central database as and when required and update their accounts. The government is reportedly looking at a three-year term to complete the entire programme.


8. 
   
   The national ID card project is expected to provide an impetus to the domestic demand for information technology products and solutions, and will help companies such as TCS, Infosys and Wipro gain more business at a time when their top export markets of US and Europe are under recession.