Unique ID project gets Cabinet nod for data collection norms

The government today gave an in-principle approval for adopting a standardised approach to collect demographic and biometric attributes of residents for its ambitious Unique identification (UID) project.

The approval was given at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)-related issues.

“The final approval will make it mandatory for any data collecting department or organisation in the country to adopt UIDAI standards,” UIDAI Chairman Nandan Nilekani told reporters here after today’s meeting.

The standards will cover the method of collection of demographics — name, age, sex, address and the guardian’s name — and biometric attributes like the face, all 10 fingerprints and an iris scan.

“The registrars can take whatever information they want but we require only these demographic and biometric details,” said Nilekani.

It was also decided to include data of the iris for children in the age group of 5-15 years and the same standards and processes would be adhered to by the Registrar General of India for the National Population Register exercise and all other registrars in the UID system, Nilekani added.

He said the authority is in final stages of drafting the UID Act which will be put for discussions in the public domain.

Commenting on concerns over privacy issues, Nilekani said: “The UID Act will have several safeguards for privacy and the database will not be used under normal circumstances. Only as part of the national security laws can specific information be requested from the UID database. We are also willing to support and endorse any umbrella legislation that looks at data protection.”

Nilekani added that the biggest partner for UIDAI was NPR, followed by the rural development ministry through the government’s flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

The first set of the 12-digit unique set of randomly-generated numbers, or Aadhaars, will be issued between August 2010 and February 2011.