Unique Identification project to take off in 2011

The issue of Unique Identification Number to the people of Orissa will start from February 2011. All the citizens of the state are expected to get this unique ID in next 3-4 years, said Nandan Nilekani, chairman, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIAI) here today.

Talking to media after a high level meeting with the state government officials, he said, this will be a unique initiative which will use methods like finger print and retina scan for identification of citizens to issue bio-metric ID cards. The project will go online in February 2011 and 600 million people will be issued unique ID cards over the next five and half years.

Expressing his satisfaction over the discussion with the officials of the Orissa government, Nilekani said, the role of state governments in this project is vital.

Describing his interaction with chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, chief secretary, Tarunkanti Mishra and other senior officials as satisfactory, he said, a regional office for Orissa and Andhra Pradesh will be set up soon.

To carry forward the work and attain better co-ordination with the state governments, the UIAI has appointed one Deputy Director General (DDG) for these two states.

“Orissa has been in the forefront in the use of bio-metric cards in the public distribution system in Raygada. Since the state has expertise in this area, that will come in handy for the unique ID project”, he remarked.

The Unique ID Project, which proposes to give each citizen of India a unique identification number, has its head office in Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, the chief secretary T K Mishra said, the issue of unique ID will help the common citizen to avail the benefit of various public services.

This is an ambitious project and the Union government would provide the required funds for the project just like the preparation of voter ID cards. However, the total project cost for Orissa isn’t decided yet. Development Commissioner, S P Nanda and secretary in the revenue and disaster management department, R K Sharma were present on the occasion.