[Reader-list] News Items posted on the net on Multipurpose National Identity Cards-108

[Taha Mehmood]

http://www.cxotoday.com/India/News/MNIC_Program_Pilots_in_Coastal_India/551-99783-912.html

Multipurpose Identity Card Project Gets Under Way
By Muntazir Abbas
Delhi, Mar 06, 2009 0911 hrs IST

In the wake of the recent terror attacks in Mumbai, the need for
single multipurpose national identity cards in India has increased
manifold. The card will have a single number for your voter card,
driving license, or passport.


A pilot project is presently under way in more than 12 regions,
including coastal states and Union Territories, and would cover a
population of more than 30 lakh in its first phase. The micro
processor chip-based identity cards with a picture and finger
biometrics will be issued to the coastal inhabitants, including
fishermen who have attained the age of 18.


According to Onkar Kedia, spokesperson of the Ministry of Home
Affairs, the Office of the Registrar General of India will be the
nodal office for the implementation of this project. The government in
the current budget has already earmarked Rs 100 crore for the
comprehensive process towards the National Authority of Unique
Identity under the National Planning Commission.

The MNIC cards will be designed to support more than 300,000
Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) write
cycles and could retain data for over 10 years with a memory of 16 KB.


The states under pilot project include Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa,
Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Orissa.
In addition, it will cover Union Territories of Pondicherry,
Lakshadweep, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.


Government of India expects to offer the permanent identity cards to
all persons in the National Population Register by 2010.