Chidambaram sounds warning note over UIDAI data

As reports of 'unverified' data being collected by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for the issuance of  'Aadhaar' numbers did the rounds, union home minister P Chidambaram expressed concern over false data of non-usual residents being used, leading to the creation of false profiles for the project. This could have grave internal security implications according to the home ministry.

Moreover, the home minister has also pointed out that the data being collected by the authority might result in 'duplication' of the entire exercise leading to unnecessary expenditure when the Registrar General of India (RGI) was supposed to carry out enrolment.

In a letter to Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on 8 November, Chidambaram said the process of the National Population Register (NPR) being prepared by the RGI had been carefully devised after considerable deliberations at the level of an empowered group of ministers (EGoM), pilot trials, and consultations with state governments. According to the home minister, the UIDAI process of enrolment was based on production of documents and, in the absence of these, through an 'introducer'-based mechanism.

According to unnamed sources quoted by The Times of India, in the ministry, the issue was likely to be taken up in the cabinet soon as the home minister was keen on bringing it up as early as possible.

The Registrar General of India (RGI) has also questioned the reliability of biometrics data collected by the UIDAI under the Aadhaar scheme. Chidambaram has therefore sought an immediate meeting of the cabinet committee on UID to discuss the security risks posed by identity profiles with dubious details, in the UID data.

The cabinet panel would also address the issue of convergence between UID and NPR exercises, including the request of the home ministry to let the collection of biometrics be left entirely to the RGI.