Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Jun 26: Nandan Nilekani, one of the co-founders of  the city-headquartered Infosys Technologies Ltd, who has played a leading role in guiding this IT company on sound foundations to the No.2 position in the country, has been handpicked by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to chair the newly formed Unique Identification Database Authority of India(UIDAI). He will enjoy the status equivalent to that of a cabinet minister. The Authority will work under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister.

After being chosen to take a position of national importance, Nilekani resigned from the post he was holding in the Infosys. The Authority has been assigned with the task of developing multi-purpose treasure of unique information that the government wants to use to identify the beneficiaries under its schemes and to ensure that the benefits of the schemes reach the targetted people. The Authority has been assigned with the responsibility of implementing the unique identity card scheme. For this year, a sum of Rs 100 crore has been set aside for this scheme. The issuance of unique identity does away with the need for production of multiple documentary proofs needed for different purposes. The government hopes to be able to correlate between different systems as the present system of every individual holding multiple cards like ration card, identity card, PAN card, credit card etc., has been posing lot of problems.

It may be recalled, that an empowered group of ministers headed by the then external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee had approved the establishment of the said Authority. The unique identity number every citizen of the country will get under the scheme will remain the same since birth to his or her death. The card also proposes to make obtaining of driving licence, passport, electoral identity card etc., hassle-free.