CM to monitor the Aadhaar ID project in the Capital

Unique designation for Sheila Dikshit

CM to monitor the Aadhaar ID project in the Capital

It's a programme that aims to empower the common man and help streamline government policies and

initiatives. The Unique Identity project, now branded Aadhaar, has generated a lot of interest in all quarters, primarily because of the vision and the scale of the endeavour. That is why, a comprehensive plan has been chalked out, to execute the mission in the Capital, involving the chief minister herself.

A senior Delhi government official associated with the project said: "The council to be headed by the chief minister will comprise her cabinet colleagues, some senior officials from the Delhi government and central government agencies. There will be around ten members in the monitoring council," said the official.

The role and other modalities of the councils, committees and officials are still being worked out.u00a0

"Rakesh Mehta will head a committee comprising senior officials of different departments. This committee will be largely responsible for the actual execution, planning and coordination with different agencies," said the official.
The role of the third-tier committee is rather comprehensive.u00a0 "The divisional commissioner will head a team of officials and various others who will collect the data and issue cards and do all the micro-level work," said the official.

The official also said that a memorandum of understanding has to be signed between the Delhi government and UID authorities before the commencement of work on the project.u00a0 "The project has to be discussed in the cabinet before an MoU is signed with the authorities. Hopefully, it will be placed before the state cabinet in May," said the official.

He also revealed that a letter had been written to the state government asking for adequate manpower and space to start work.

Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta, when contacted, said that the government is working out modalities of the project. "An MoU has to be signed with the UID authorities. The matter will be put before the state cabinet very soon," he added.

Game for numbers
The UID (Unique Identity) project has been renamed as 'Aadhaar'. Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority (UIDAI) of India, Nandan Nilekani recently came out with a logo for the project. The UID will have both personal and biometric data of a person, such as, name, sex, date of birth, nationality, marital status, current and permanent address, occupation, photo and fingerprints. A 16-digit unique number would be issued to every individual above 15 years of age, including NRIs, and foreigners residing in India. The first UID is expected to be issued by early 2011 and a target to provide 600 million UIDs in the next five years has been set by the authority. The project has been allocated Rs 1,900 crore for the financial year ending March 31, 2011. The UIDAI will also rollout a mass advertising campaign in 2011 to spread awareness on Aadhaar.

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