[Reader-list] News Items posted on the net on Multipurpose National Identity Cards-112

[Taha Mehmood]

Dear All,

Below are two excerpts. One from an interview and the other from a
report related to MNIC.

 The interview was given by Home Minister Chidambaram to Vishwa Mohan
and Himanshi Dhawan of the Times of India. Wherein the minister
answers a question related to MNIC.

The excerpt below that relates to a Congress Party Document titled-
'Protecting India from Terror'. It was at the press conference called,
for the launch of this document that a shoe was thrown at Mr.
Chidambaram.

Particularly with reference to the section on MNIC, I find two inconsistencies.

 First, relates to a claim by the Congress, that a National identity
card was Rajiv Gandhi's idea. When we all know that the idea for such
a card emerges from recommendation Chapter 5, of a GoM report
presented during NDA's regime. The report was called Reforming the
National Security System. The chapter-5 was titled Border Management.
This Chapter was in fact written as per the submissions on Border
Management, by the Task Force headed by Madhave Godbole. In Section
110, page 85, of the report, it is mentioned that- 'Illegal migration
has assumed serious proportions. There should be compulsory
registration of citizens and non-citizens living in India. This will
facilitate preparation of a national register of citizens' All
citizens should be given a *Multi-Purpose National Identity Card
*(*MPNIC*) and non-citizens should be issued identity cards of a
different color and design'

Furthermore,  Mr.Rajiv Gandhi died in 1991. And according to wiki
entry on smart cards- 'Smart-card-based electronic purse systems (in
which value is stored on the card chip, not in an externally recorded
account, so that machines accepting the card need no network
connectivity) were tried throughout Europe from the mid-1990s' (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_card ) This is closest to the
current technology of a smart identity card. I do not know how Mr.
Gandhi could have imagined a smart card based national identity card
before 1991. Perhaps, he was really ahead of his times as many senior
netas of Congress Party would like us to believe.

The second relates to a minor but significant wording of a sentence in
the Congress's document 'Protecting India from Terror'. Before i quote
the sentence, i just want to mention that, I do understand that this
document is not a policy paper or a legal set of rules hence in real
terms it may not have any bearing on the citizens as such, however,  I
would like to think that this document reflects the thinking which
could be employed to think through  policy and may be legal ideas
related to MNIC. Therefore it is important to reflect on this
statement.

Consider this-

'Preparations for the National Population Register (NPR) along with
the Census of 2011 are underway. Once the NPR is ready, MNICs will be
issued to all usual residents.' ( p-8)

MNIC  will be 'issued to all usual residents'. I am not clear what
does 'usual residents' refer to. Additionally could it mean all those
who are usual non-residents, ( which might mean, the 300-400 million
transient population ) may be denied the card or what about unusual
residents (which might mean, genuine illegal immigrants who have
genuine documents to prove they are 'Indians') or what about unusual
nonresidents ( which might mean, all those who are on the move and yet
invisible to state apparatus, like some 3,00,000 members of the
Aravani community, who are transgenders and therefore do not come
under any census because a census survey register there are only two
entries for gender, you could either be a female or a male)

You may click on the valid urls  to follow the entire report or the interview.

With warm regards

Taha



http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4415509.cms

Q. Ambitious Multi-Purpose National Identity Card (MNIC) scheme is
billed as one of the steps to keep tabs on infiltrators or illegal
immigrants. But, the pace of the project is quite slow.

A. It was a pilot project. We had to prove the concept. It was
completed in March 2008. The period between April 2008 and March 2009
was the maintenance phase. That phase is also complete. Now the pilot
has been proved. We have entrusted it to the Registrar General of
India who is going to take it up. I have given a timeframe to all the
coastal towns and villages as well as Andaman and Nicobar Islands for
cards to be issued to all residents by 2009-2010. For the remainder in
India, it will be done along with the National Population Register. So
once the NPR is ready, side-by-side the cards will be issued.



http://www.aicc.org.in/new/TERROR_ENGLISH.pdf

Multi-Purpose National Identity Card (MNIC) project and
National Population Register programme

: The Congress-led UPA government is implementing a clear Action Plan
for the issuance of
Multi-Purpose National Identity Card (MNIC – Smart Card) to every
Indian citizen. Shri L.K. Advani has recently made a curious
announcement that the BJP will implement the MNIC project if it comes
to power in the 2009 elections. This is a remarkable statement that
demonstrates either ignorance and slumber or denial of facts. The
truth is that the MNIC project has forged ahead under the Congress-led
UPA government while the BJP has been in deep slumber. The ID card
idea was the brainchild of Shri Rajiv Gandhi, whose government
implemented the first pilot programme in this regard in Rajasthan. The
concept of a pilot project was drawn up in 2003, but it went into
hibernation under the NDA government, and the implementation began
only after the UPA government came into office. The pilot project has
since been implemented and it came to a close on 31.3.2008. 12 lakh
Identity Cards have been delivered along with creation of a database
of 24.64 lakh persons. A UID Authority of India (UIDAI) was
established on 28.1.2009. Preparations for the National Population
Register (NPR) along with the Census of 2011 are underway. Once the
NPR is ready, MNICs will be issued to all usual residents. Meanwhile,
having regard to the urgency of the matter, it has been decided to
create the NPR of coastal villages/towns in 2009-10 and to issue cards
to all usual residents in these coastal villages/towns as well as in
the whole of Andaman&Nicobar Islands.