UID to enroll 600 mn members in 4 years: Nandan Nilekani
KOLKATA: The governments ambitious unique ID project will start rolling out the UID numbers over the next few days and will enroll 600 million members in the first three to four years, Nandan Nilekani, the chairperson of the UID Authority of India (UIDAI), said in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Mr Nilekani once again clarified that UID will not be a proof of citizenship but will be an online authentication system to verify a persons identity. UIDAI has registered 220-odd enrolment agencies who will collect data on behalf of the registrars.
The authority has made sure that all entities collecting data follows the same quality standards for which hardware and software specifications have been laid down. The entire system will have the capability to process a million data each day.
We are developing a system that will also enable verification over mobile network and use simple devices like mobile phones attached with biometric equipment. UID will comprise of name, date of birth, sex and fathers name along with fingerprints as well as both the irises. The online verification system will just take about 7-8 seconds to authenticate and the answer will come in the form of a simple yes or no, he said.
Once the enrolment process is started and numbers are assigned to individuals various services and applications based on the UID system will be developed. These applications can offer various services to masses at large. It will essentially help in offering better delivery services by the government in sectors like public distribution system, healthcare and disbursement of pension as well as banking facilities, he added.
Interestingly, Mr Nilekani informed that the RBI is in the process of rolling out a road map for financial inclusion along with banks and institutions can develop applications based on the UID systems. Nevertheless, including people outside the system, with no proof of identity, is a challenge. Therefore UIDAI has devised a system where a non-government organisation (NGO) or an introducer can stand guarantee for such persons.