[Reader-list] News Items posted on the net on Multipurpose National Identity Cards-23

[Taha Mehmood]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/773237.cms

Times of India
India

Govt considering national identity cards
10 Jul 2004, 1245 hrs IST, PTI


NEW DELHI: Government on Saturday said it is "actively considering" issuing
multi-purpose national identity cards (MNICs) to all citizens but
voiced serious concern over India's burgeoning population, which was
expected to overtake that of the most populous country China in the year
2035.

"Every person in the country will be provided national identity cards and
given a unique national identity number," Home Minister Shivraj Patil said
inaugurating a seminar on Census Data Dissemination here.

A pilot project covering 30 lakh population spread over 13 states and union
territories is currently going on. Its basic aim is to create a National
Population Register which will have both the National Register of Indian
Citizens and that for non-citizens.

To this effect, the necessary amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955 has
been recently carried out to provide for compulsory registration of all
citizens.

"The success of the project would depend on timely and complete updating of
this register which again partly depends on complete registration of births
and deaths," Patil said.

The MNIC project, the Minister said, once completed will not only enhance
the security cover of the country but also facilitate national level
e-governance programme which is one of the important agenda items of the
Common Minimum Programme to ensure that Government services reach people in
every nook and corner.