Issue of unique identification numbers to start in 2011: Nilekani

The first phase of allotment of unique identification numbers to residents in India is likely to start next year and work on it will start in August this year, Nandan Nilekani, chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIAI), said today.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik and senior officials of the state government, Nilekani said, as a first step, Orissa has already started using finger prints in making ration cards in Rayagada district of the state.

The first phase of the UID issue is expected to cover about 100 million of a total 600 million people in the country who will be provided with UIDs, Nilekani said, adding that the Orissa government had assured UIAI all support for the programme.

The UIDAI will start identification of resident Indians under the scheme of Multipurpose National Identity Card (MNIC) project and the office at Hyderabad will cover Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, he said.

There would be eight regional offices of the UIAI and each such office would cover two to three states.

He said the bio-metric UID cards would be allotted to residents on the basis of 11 biometrics, including finger prints and retina scan.