National identity cards to be issued to all citizens: Chidambaram

New Delhi, May 26 (ANI): To keep an eye on terrorists often mixing with common people, the Union Government has initiated an unique scheme to provide a multipurpose national identity number to every citizen in the country by 2011.

"The national population register will be ready by 2011 and the multipurpose national identity cards (MNIC) will be issued to all residents in 2011," Union home minister P Chidambaram said. owever, as the process is very complex, a pilot project has already been under implementation on an experimental basis covering a population of 30.95 lakhs in selected areas in 12 states and one union territory.

The identity card would be a smart card having a microprocessor chip recommended by a technical committee constituted by the government having representatives from National Informatics Centre, IIT Kanpur, Bharat Electronics Limited, Indian Telephone Industries Limited, Electronics Corporation of India Limited, Intelligence Bureau and others.

The identity smart cards are being issued to citizens of 18 years and more under the pilot project. (ANI)