[Reader-list] News Items posted on the net on Multipurpose National Identity Cards-103

[Taha Mehmood]

http://www.mynews.in/fullstory.aspx?storyid=16552

BJP releases 'IT vision document'


New Delhi: Trying to quash reports of personality conflicts within the
party, the BJP on Saturday kicked off its campaign by unveiling its
'''IT vision document', detailing how it planned to use information
technology as a tool for change in all major sectors, if voted to
power.

Positioning itself as a party with a modern and progressive vision,
its prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani said that they planned to
use IT to transform various sectors, including education, health,
agriculture and even economy.

He promised, among other things, 1.2 crore new IT-enabled jobs in
rural areas, laptops to one crore students at Rs 10,000 each,
broadband Internet in every town and village, bank accounts for all
with e-banking facilities, basic health insurance for all, and
promoting domestic IT hardware industry. Special attention would be
given to bring women, SCs, STs, OBCs and other weaker sections of the
society within the ambit of IT-enabled development.

Stressing on NDA government's achievements under prime minister
Vajpayee and its successful schemes, Advani said that if they came
back to power, they will take forward the unfinished agenda. The
highways project will be taken forward to become the National Digital
Highway Development Project, and the rural road project will be
transformed into Pradhan Mantri Gram Digital Sadak Yojana.

Advani's vision naturally could not have been complete without
focussing on national security. He said that they would revive the
project of Multipurpose National Identity Cards (MNIC) launched when
NDA was in power, but it kept languishing under the UPA. He said that
the NDA will ensure an MNIC for each citizen within three years of
coming to power. It would provide a unique Citizenship Identity Number
(CIN) to each person, and it will integrate all identities including
election ID, PAN card, ration card, driving license number into one
common identity.

Advani said that security was the main concern for making the cards
mandatory. He pointed out the increasing infiltration of Bangladeshi
nationals into the country, particularly in the northeast. There are
an estimated two crore Bangladeshi immigrants staying illegally in the
country, he said.

Meanwhile, the party's high-profile general secretary Arun Jaitley
made a late entry at the important function. Other senior BJP leaders,
including party president Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Jaswant Singh
and Arun Shourie were present at the function.

Rajnath Singh also launched BJP's revamped website on the occasion. A
day earlier, Jaitley, who is reported to be at loggerheads with Singh
over the appointment of Sudhanshu Mittal as in-charge of the poll
campaign in Assam and joint in-charge of the entire northeast, had
skipped the party's important central election committee meeting.

Courtesy India Today