The government sorted out the ongoing tussle between Nandan Nilekani’s UIDAI and the ministry of home affairs’ NPR scheme.
With an eye on the 2014 general elections, the Congress-led UPA government on Friday sorted out the ongoing tussle between Nandan Nilekani’s Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and the ministry of home affairs’ National Population Register (NPR) scheme.
Keeping Nilekani in good humour, apparently to send a corporate-friendly message to the world and hurry up enumeration and roll out development schemes as quickly as possible, the cabinet Committee on Friday allowed UIDAI to carry out the enumeration process of 40 crore more residents in 16 states and four Union territories (UTs), in addition to the 20 crore already recommended by the expenditure finance committee.
In the remaining 12 states and 3 UTs, having about 60 crore residents, almost equal to the population that UIDAI has been mandated to cover, the NPR will complete the biometric enumeration and enrollment.
The enrollment will be completed by June 2013 and targeted schemes will start rolling out thereafter, Union home minister P Chidambaram said after the cabinet meeting.
This gives enough headway to the incumbent Congress-led UPA government to fight the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on issues of improvement in governance, delivery mechanism and anti-corruption.
Government sources said the MHA was coaxed to climb down from its position. UIDAI is reportedly doling out 10 lakh Aadhaar numbers each day and has already generated 11.90 crore Aadhaar numbers apart from enrolling 17 crore residents.
However, giving due weight to security concerns, the NPR will hold camps in 16 states covered by the UIDAI, to collect the biometric data of those who have been left out or have chosen to opt out. While Aadhaar enumeration is voluntary, the NPR, backed by legal powers, is mandatory.
NPR will record the number of those who have been enrolled by Aadhaar. Their biometric data will be sourced from UIDAI, Chidambaram said. He said the resultant cost of avoidable duplication should not be more than 5% (or Rs250 crore) of the Rs5,000 crore that would be given to UIDAI.
Praising Chidamabram for his brilliant suggestion of proceeding simultaneously, Nilekani said the UIDAI will rework the entire strategy in 6 to 8 weeks and start the enrolment exercise in a standardised format from April 1.
“The UID project is aimed at ensuring inclusive growth by providing a form of identity to those who do not have any identity,” deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia said.
The Cabinet approved the commencement of Phase-III of the UID scheme at an estimated cost of Rs8,814.75 crore which subsumes the earlier approval of Rs3,023.01 crore, and comprises costs for the issue of 20 crore Aadhaar numbers up to March 2012.
It also includes printing and delivery of 20 crore Aadhaar letters, technology and other support infrastructure cost for creation, storage and maintenance of data and services for leveraging the uses of Aadhaar for the entire estimated resident population up to March 2017.
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