[Reader-list] Sinha seeks clarification on Nilekani’s statement- 165

[Taha Mehmood]

Dear All,

Yashwant Sinha asks Nandu whether UIDC be issued to residents of India
and not to citizens of India?

Could we ask them- who is a resident of India?

or whether who is a citizen of India?

How many people in India have got a verifiable paper evidence to prove
their identity?

Warm regards

Taha


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/PoliticsNation/Sinha-seeks-clarification-on-Nilekanis-statement/articleshow/4818236.cms

Sinha seeks clarification on Nilekani’s statement
25 Jul 2009, 0358 hrs IST, ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: Unique Identification Authority of India (UIAI) chairman
Nandan Nilekani’s statement that a unique identification number would
be
issued to all residents of India, and not the “citizens of India” as
asserted earlier by Union home minister P Chidambaram, created ripples
in the Lok Sabha on Friday with BJP demanding a clarification from the
government on the targeted coverage of the ambitious scheme.

Raising the issue during zero hour in the Lok Sabha, former Union
minister Yashwant Sinha said there has been “deviation” in statements
by Mr Chidambaram and Mr Nilekani over who will get the card. While
the home minister has said that the card is for Indian citizens only,
Mr Nilekani on Thursday was quoted as saying that the unique number
would be allocated to all Indian residents, including non-citizens.

Seeking an end to the ambiguity, Mr Sinha — who, incidentally, hailed
the appointment of the Infosys boss as head of the UIAI — asked the
government to make a statement clarifying the scope of coverage of the
UPA’s flagship scheme.

Speaking to newspersons soon after taking over as UIAI chairman here
on Thursday, Mr Nilekani had stated that the first set of unique
identification numbers would be issued within 12-18 months.

However, when asked specifically how the authority would issue
identification numbers in states like Assam, Tripura and West Bengal
where large number of Bangladeshi migrants live, he said the project
was for residents. “The charter of this (project) is to create an
online database of residents of the country,” he said.

Mr Nilekani further clarified that UIAI is not going to issue cards
and it will only create a database of residents’ identity. “We will
have a very simple database which provides biometric and demographic
identity details like name, number, date of birth.....very basic
things,” he said.

The unique numbers, according to Mr Nilekani, would not only provide
an identity to citizens but will also help them in obtaining benefits
of government schemes and also undertake with ease other activities
like opening bank accounts and availing electricity connection.

The government had appointed Mr Nilekani as UIAI chairman last month
and allocated Rs 120 crore for the ambitious project in the current
fiscal.