UIDAI, NPR enrolments should proceed simultaneously: Cabinet

The Cabinet Committee on Unique Identification Authority of India-related issues (CC-UIDAI) today decided that National Population Register (NPR) and UIDAI enrolments should proceed simultaneously, with suitable provisions to eliminate avoidable overlap.

 

This was agreed after the CC-UIDAI held detailed deliberations and took note of the fact that the purposes of UIDAI and NPR were different, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram told mediapersons.

 

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and UIDAI Chairman Nandan Nilekani were also present at the press conference.

 

Under the modalities approved by the committee for the roll-out of UIDAI and NPR, UIDAI will be allowed to enrol an additional 40 crore residents of the country, beyond the 20 crore already recommended by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC).

 

In States, where UIDAI has made good progress, where State/UT Governments have given commitments for Aadhaar enrolments and are planning to integrate Aadhaar with various service delivery applications, Aadhaar enrolments through Non-RGI Registrars will move at full speed within the ceiling of 60 crore (20 crore + 40 crore). A suggested list of States/UTs was also approved.

 

Chidambaram said the NPR enrolment would continue as envisaged but if, in the course of enrolment, a person indicates he/she is already enrolled for Aadhaar, the biometric data would not be captured by NPR. Instead the Aadhaar number/enrolment number will be recorded in NPR and the biometric data will be sourced from the UIDAI, he said.

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Detailed protocols will be worked out by the Inter Ministerial co-ordination Committee (IMCC) already constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs so as to smoothly implement this simultaneous effort, he said.

 

Chidambaram said enrolling for an Aadhar number was a voluntary exercise, while enrolling for the NPR was mandatory.

 

Nilekani said the formula worked out today would ensure that the country got the benefit of both programmes. He said the security concerns raised by the Home Ministry were genuine and would be addressed by the UIDAI.

 

The financial proposal relating to Aadhaar enrolments of additional 40 crore will be separately placed before the EFC. Pending this approval, UIDAI is allowed to continue Aadhaar enrolment beyond 20 crore so that the momentum of the field formations is not lost. Provision will be made in the budget for 2012-13 in anticipation thereof.

 

The additional cost for enrolment and logistics pertaining to printing and delivery of Aadhaar letters in respect of the 40 crore additional enrolments will be brought before the EFC for their recommendation and to the CC-UIDAI for approval.

 

The UID project is primarily aimed at ensuring inclusive growth by providing a form of identity to those who do not have any identity. It seeks to provide UID, or Aadhar, numbers to the marginalized sections of society and thus would strengthen equity. Apart from providing identity, the UID is expected to enable better delivery of services and effective governance.

 

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The modalities and detailed protocol for smooth implementation of simultaneous enrolment by the Non-RGI Registry of UIDAI and the RGI will be finalized by the IMCC within the overall directions given by the CC-UIDAI. The enrolment through Non-RGI Registrars of UIDAI will be for an additional 40 crore population.

 

UIDAI was established in 2009 and has been mandated to issue Unique Identification (UID) numbers to the residents of India. 

 

An estimated 17 crore enrolments have been completed by the various Registrars of UIDAI and as on 20.1.2012, 11.90 crore Aadhaar numbers generated.

 

The CC-UIDAI also approved approved commencement of Phase-Ill of the UID scheme at an estimated cost of Rs.8,814.75 crore which subsumes the earlier approval of Rs.3,023.01 crore, and comprises costs for issue of 20 crore Aadhaar numbers through Multiple Registrars upto March 2012, 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 upto March 2017.

 

Out of the amount of Rs.8814.75 crore that has been approved for incurring expenditure upto March 2017, Rs.2412.67 crore would be towards recurring expenditure including IT operational cost and recurring establishment cost and Rs.6402.08 crore would be towards non-recurring project related expenditure, an official press release added.

 

NNN

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