Centre to issue UID for citizens: IT secretary

Mumbai, June 5 (UNI) The Union Government is planning to issue Unique Identity Cards (UIDs) to the citizens as part of the ongoing National E-Governance Plan (NeGP), said R Chandrasekhar, Additional secretary to the Department of Information Technology here.

Addressing the SKOH financial technologies summit today Mr Chandrashekar said the UID project which is likely to start by the middle of next year, will come initially as paper-based documents and will serve in multiple respects as identity proving documents.

This service will be one among the many intiatives that will accompany the NeGP implementation.

The National E-governance programme (NeGP), which is being implemented across the country, is one among the key intiatives promoted by the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) of the UPA government and is slated to accomplish multiple goals that has mainly set its focus on Citizen services.

The project will also act as a mode to increase transparency in governance and to reduce corruption in operations, he said.

The Government will set up State Wide Area Networks, Common Services Centers and State Data Centers as part of the project.

Common Service Centers (CSC), which will be launched through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) bid, is expected to reach full swing by the middle of next year and is aimed at providing impetus to long-time growth of e-Governance in country. The implementation will be carried out through a national level agency -- Mumbai-based IL&FS. Further eloborating on CSCs, Chandrasekhar said the process would integrate the existing centers including those under private sector banks under the programme. CSCs would deliver multiple services to public including collection of bills. The services will be charged as per the standards set by the Government.

''CSCs would be platforms for fundamental transformation of the ways in which development challenges would be met in rural India which will be carried out through a formula of public-private partnership. The programme has alredy come a long way in Jharkand, West Bangal and Haryana and will be expanded to other States soon,'' he said.

UNI