Unique identification Number UID project

India

In modern times, bureaucratic administration demands that each person be

identified to ensure that they are entitled to call themselves citizens. Without

identification one can neither take on responsibilities, such as voting, nor enjoy

the benefits, such as protection from external or internal threats to well-being.

For good governance, a proper and efficient tab on the residents of a country, a

government should know who the residents of that country are. An identity of a

citizen is important, and more important is that identity of the citizen should be

easily and conveniently available to the government as well. The UID is

supposed to eliminate this problem of identifying a person within a country.

OBJECTIVE :

The purpose of the UIDAI is to “issue a unique identification number (UID) to

all Indian residents that is (a) robust enough to eliminate duplicate and fake

identities, and (b) can be verified and authenticated in an easy, cost effective

way.”

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has been created as an

attached office under the Planning Commission. Its role is to develop and

implement the necessary institutional, technical and legal infrastructure to issue

unique identity numbers to Indian residents.

Year of Estblishment :

The Unique Identity (UID) project undertaken by the Government of India

under the leadership of Mr. Nandan Nilekani as the first Chairperson of the

Unique Identity Authority of India (UDAI) with the rank of the Cabinet

Minister was established on June 25th 2009. Minister. Mr. Ram Sewak Sharma

has been appointed the Director General

Annual Budget

This gives a broad picture of the annual budget outlays vis-a-vis the expenditure

incurred.

Annual Budget 2010-11

Budget Estimated(BE) of UIDAI for the year 2010-2011

Head of Account

Rupees in thousands

01 Unique Identification Authority of India

01.01 Establishment 17,41,200

01.99 Information Technology 24,53,800

1.02 Assistance to Registrars for Enrolling Residents

01.02.50 Other Charges 1,30,00,000

01 Total-Unique Identification Authority of India 1,71,95,000

Head of Account

Rupees in thousands

38.99 Information Technology

38.99.52 Machinery and Equipment 8,05,000

38.0053 Major Works (Acquisition of Land) 5,00,000

38 Total-Unique Identification Authority of India 13,05,000

Head of Account

Rupees in thousands

07 Unique Identification authority of India

UIDAI Building and CIDR

07.00.53 Major Works – Buildings 5,00,000

Total Budget 1,90,00,000

Outcome Budget The extracts of the Outcome Budget 2010-11 of Government of India, Planning

Commission pertaining to Unique Identification Authority of India.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) was created during

2009-10 and a modest start with an expenditure of Rs 30.92 crore was made.

The draft approach to creating Unique Identification Numbers to every resident

in India, concept papers describing the linkages of various welfare schemes

steered by different Ministries/departments of Government of India and reports

of the

Demographic Data Standards and Field Verification Committee and Biometrics

Committee were completed. The preparatory work for the Proof of Concept

Studies and the Pilots were commenced. In the current year the Proof of

Concept Studies and the pilots will be completed and the UID numbers will

begin to be issued. Full scale enrolment of the resident and authentication

services will be commenced towards the end of the year. The Managed Service

Provider will be selected and the Central Data Identity Depository will be

handed over on a long term contract basis. For this budget of Rs 1900.00 crores

allocated during Annual Plan 2010-11. A major part of it is to be used for

reimbursement of enrolment costs to the registrars as also to the residents.

Mission and Timeline

The Mission

The role that the Authority envisions is to issue a unique identification number

(UIDAI) that can be verified and authenticated in an online, cost-effective

manner, which is robust enough to eliminate duplicate and fake identities.

The Timelines

The first UIDAI numbers will be issued over the next 12-18 months counted

from August 2009. The first number would be issued between August 2010 to

February 2011. Over five years, the Authority plans to issue 600 million UIDs.

The numbers will be issued through various 'registrar' agencies across the

country.

Prime Minister's Council

Prime Minister's Council on UIDAI Authority - Subsequently, on 02 July 2009,

the Government appointed Shri. Nandan M. Nilekani as Chairman of the

Unique Identification Authority of India, in the rank and status of a Cabinet

Minister for an initial tenure of five years. Mr. Nilekani has joined the UIDAI as

its Chairman on 23 July 2009. The Prime Minister's Council of UIDAI Authority

of India was set up on 30 July 2009. The Council is to advise the UIDAI on

Programme, methodology and implementation to ensure co-ordination

between Ministries/Departments, stakeholders and partners. The Council

would meet once every quarter. The First Meeting of the Prime Minister's

Council of UIDAI Authority took place on 12 August 2009.

The salient decisions in the PMs council were as follows :

Need for legislative framework

Broad Endorsement of the Strategy

Budgetary Support to partners

Setting Biometric and Demographic Standards

UIDAI Structure Contours Approved

Flexibility in Personnel and other issues

Choose, Deploy and Repatriate Officers

Government Accommodation Eligibility

Broad-banding of posts

Hiring of professionals from Market

Setting up of Global Advisory Councils of PIOs

Interns and Sabbatical Global Procurement

Cabinet Committee The Government of India issued orders constituting the Cabinet Committee on

UIDAI Authority on 22 October 2009. It is headed by the Honourable Prime

Minister and consists of the Minister of Finance, Minister of Agriculture,

Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Minister of Home

Affairs, Minister of External Affairs, Minister of Law and Justice, Minister of

Communications and Information Technology, Minister of Labour and

Employment, Minister of Human Resource Development, Minister of Rural

Development and Panchayati Raj, Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty

Alleviation and Minister of Tourism. The Deputy Chairman Planning

Commission and Chairman UIDAI are special invitees. The functions of the

Committee, which is headed by the Honourable PM would be as under :

All issues relating to the Unique identification Authority of India including its

organisation, plans, policies, programmes, schemes, funding and methodology

to be adopted for achieving the objectives of that Authority.

What is Aadhaar?

Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique number which the Unique Identification Authority

of India (UIDAI) will issue for all residents. The number will be stored in a

centralised database and linked to the basic demographics and biometric

information – photograph, ten fingerprints and iris – of each individual. The

details of the data fields and verification procedures are available Aadhaar will

be Unique and robust enough to eliminate the large number of duplicate and

fake identities in government and private databases A random number

generated, devoid of any classification based on caste, creed, religion and

geography .

Benifits and Effects on indian Socities : In India, an inability to prove identity is one of the biggest barriers preventing

the poor from accessing benefits and subsidies. Public as well as private sector

agencies across the country typically require proof of identity before providing

individuals with services. Further, the UID card is supposed to eliminate

duplicate and fake identities and quick and authentic verification of

the identity of a person. Thus, enabling good governance in terms of reaching

out to the people and identifying the persons who are in need of beneficial

schemes of the government.

Some of the essential benefit of UID includes de-duplication of identity and

prevention of identity theft, transparency in the governance process; efficient,

fast and effective method of working of the governance process. Other

benefits of UID include cost- reduction in terms of eliminating repetitive

process of verifying the identity of a person. UID provides an effect

method of identifying a huge number of people who are migrates from one

part of the country to another, and are basically without a proper identification

in that new place.

UID is an effective tool in deter and control the illegal migrants from other

countries.3 Though, UID in India is an inclusive one and provides identity not

only to its citizen but non-citizens as well. India is facing a though problem of

illegal immigrants, mostly from Bangladesh, who are residing in India often

permanently.4 Tracking of foreign nationals is essential in interest of national

security. The UID could be used by employers to verify the identity of a

prospective employee through his/her UID.5 The UID register would, by

verifying entitlements to public services, make it more difficult for those here

illegally to gain access to them, and thus would reduce the “pull factor” the

perception that once in the country people can work and obtain benefits and

public services with impunity. Further, the bonafide non-citizens will find it

easier to establish their own identity quite easily and keep a check on the

companies using illegal migrants as workers.