The issuance of identification numbers, which will be a demand-driven endeavour and will be issued on a voluntary basis, will help in plugging leakages in transfer of benefits under government welfare programmes.
People can now use their imagination and creative ability to give a boost to the brand image of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) by designing a logo which will fetch 'instant public recognition' for the massive project.
Big brother has come to India, the government wants to network 21 available databases across government and private agencies to 'flag potential terrorist threats.' In less than two years, these databases will be linked to enable security and intelligence agencies get any information at the press of a button under the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID), a brainchild of Home Minister P Chidambaram.
The Cabinet Committee on Unique Identification Authority of India, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the commencement of phase-II of the scheme at an estimated cost of Rs 3,023.01 crore (Rs 30.23 billion).
The statement came after a media report saying that the finance ministry had slashed the authority's budget from Rs 7,000 crore (Rs 70 billion) to Rs 3,000 crore (Rs 30 billion).
Nandan Nilekani, chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, on Friday sought the help of researchers in solving the 'massive computational challenges and problems' in the implementation of the UIAI project.
With work poised to begin on providing unique identification cards to all Indians, the ambitious project has already caught the attention in the US, with lawmakers asking the government why it could not implement a similar project here.
These ID cards would form the base of a multi-application smart cards system that can be used to empower the poor and ensure that they get full benefit of all programmes such as NREGA, PDS, biblically provided education, skill development, heath services, social security and fertiliser subsidy etc, it added.
The move to set up the UID Authority of India, under the aegis of the Planning Commission, is aimed at providing a unique identity to the targeted population of the flagship schemes to ensure that the benefits reach them, information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni told reporters here after the Cabinet meeting.
Activist Gopal Krishna makes a case that the Unique Identification Number project is a gross violation of fundamental human rights and points out that a similar project/law in Britain is going to be repealed.
About 20 million mobile phones without International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) will be non-functional from Tuesday (December 1) as the government's deadline to ban mobile handsets without the unique identification number came to an end on Monday.
UIDAI has split the overall project into small ones and handed them over to multiple vendors to speed up work.
The apex court said the Constitution Bench would commence final hearing from January 17 on the petition challenging the Aadhaar scheme itself.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah has requested the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to include the state for the pilot project 'Aadhar' as it was ready with the resident data.
Lord Hanuman has managed to get an Aadhaar card made, but there are no takers for it.
Don't share information over phone with anyone. Use only official apps. Keep Aadhaar locked unless needed.
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Besides giving statutory status to the Unique Identification Authority of India, the Bill seeks to provide legal backing to Aadhaar, which is used to disburse subsidies.
Officials at the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) have denied reports of a more than 50 per cent cut in their budget.
A physics professor has applied science to suggest ways to help the country get rid of its ills and the result is a comprehensive and smart formula for social change.
Nandan M Nilekani, who was appointed as head of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIAI), on Monday said the government would take steps to end ID card duplication leading to fraud and create a network of verification and authentication.
The dread stems from Chapter 13 Verse 17 of the Book of Revelations in the Bible that says "... and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name." The problem has stemmed from the Unique Identification Authority of India stipulating that none one could buy or sell property without the Unique ID card.
Banks in the medium future, may not need to engage in the "know-your-customer" (KYC) process, a check on customer antecedents, to open no-frills accounts. This could happen once a sizeable chunk of population gets a Unique Identification (UID) Number.
Since the deadline for Justice B N Srikrishna Committee's feedback is December 31, the government is unlikely to table a data protection Bill in the winter session of Parliament.
Aadhaar, or the 12-digit unique identification (UID) number that will identify the 1.2 billion residents of the country on the basis of their biometrics, will have an additional four digits that will be hidden from the common man.
The Unique Identification Authority of India may take all 10 fingerprints, besides an eye scan, of all residents in rural India to avoid loss of physical identification due to harsh working conditions.
The UIDAI asserted that the Aadhaar letter, its cutaway portion, downloaded versions of Aadhaar on ordinary paper or mAadhaar are "perfectly valid".
The department of telecom will meet UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani on Sept 24 to discuss how the database of nearly 500 million telephone subscribers can be used for issuing the unique identification number.
Nearly two months into his new job as the head of the Unique Identification Authority of India, Nandan Nilekani says the real beneficiary of the project will be the poor who have no identity at present.He is in a hurry because "the next 12-18 months are very critical in getting this project off the ground," by when the first set of identity numbers will be issued. If all goes well, five years from now the UID data base will cover a few hundred million people.
Infosys CEO S Kris Gopalakrishnan on Wednesday said that the IT major was looking at acquisitions in various geographies and has earmarked $450-500 million for the purpose.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) set up recently by the government, will establish an online data base with identity and biometric details of Indian residence and provide enrolment and verification services across the country.
Leading the ambitious Unique Identification Database project, Nandan Nilekani, former Infosys co-chairman, is keen to take the "best people" from the government and outside in his core team.
Nandan Nilekani, who has been appointed as head of the Unique Identification Authority, said he would ensure there is no conflict between his present role and the interests of Infosys Technologies.
Nandan Nilekani will have the responsibility to lay down plans and policies to implement the Unique Identity card scheme and shall own and operate the UID database. The authority was notified on January 28 this year as an attached office under the aegis of the Planning Commission with an initial core team of 115 officials and staff. The scheme will be implemented in three years.
In the first phase this year, 1.2 crore people in about 3,331 coastal villages and cities would receive the cards.
Nandan Nilekani, chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, is the latest to join a host of politicians taking to austerity and is likely to shift to the modest Karnataka Bhavan here from a 5-star hotel.
The UID will be used just for verifying someone's identity. It would be a 'yes', 'no' kind of an exercise. If someone's identity needs to be verified, only then these numbers will come in handy, says the UIDAI boss.
Nandan M Nilekani will take charge as the head of the Unique Identification Authority of India on Thursday and has sought the cooperation of all the ministries for the success of the project.
Aadhaar, an ambitious initiative of the previous government, has been used to initiate mandatory attendance for government officials, prisoner identification and by linking it to passports, mobile SIM cards and provident fund accounts.
The committee headed by Prof S Sadagopan, director, International Institute Information Technology, Bangalore, will suggest steps for implementing a central database of stock market participants.
The RBI clarification followed media reports quoting a reply to a Right to Information application that suggested the apex bank has not issued any order for mandatory Aadhaar linkage with bank accounts.
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