Your Identification just an SMS away. A Media Report.

UID Chief putting India Ahead of World. As Reported and Released by PTI other govt agencies to media. A mile Stone for India.

Identity authentication at banks, gas connection centres or while providing rural jobs will just be an SMS away, said Unique Identification Authority chief Nandan Nilekani on Saturday.

New Delhi: Identity authentication at banks, gas connection centres or while providing rural jobs will just be an SMS away, said Unique Identification Authority chief Nandan Nilekani on Saturday.
“Our project will provide a unique identification (UID) number, not a card. The authentication will be made by using mobile phones,” Nilekani said.

“Once the numbers are issued, we will go for online authentication. Let’s say, you are asking for a job under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). The authorities will send your UID number to the designated points through mobile phone message. A message will be returned saying ‘Yes’ or ‘No’,” Nilekani said.

“The fingerprint of the person can be sent to the central database and receive the authentication within minutes. This will verify whether you are the person you are claiming to be,” the former Infosys managing director said, delivering the Foundation Day lecture of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

“This will not require much personal details to be divulged. It will help provide portability to our farmers, labourers. When they move from state to state, this UID will help them get employment without hassles.”

He said banks, mobile service providers, LPG gas connection counters and many more partner organisations can use this UID to verify their customer. “With the growing mobile phone network, this will become an easy process for authorities to verify people.”

He said his team will roll out the first batch of UIDs in the next 12 to 18 months. “In five years from now, we will issue at least 600 million UIDs,” he added.

“It will cut down the fake or duplicate records. This will enhance the efficiency of flagship programmes like NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme), NRHM (National Rural Health Mission) and other such projects,” Nilekani stressed.

He said later when banks or other such organisations seek to identify their possible customers, “they will be charged to recover the cost”.

He said the Unique Identification Project (UIP) is a “huge challenge”.

“Providing UID to 1.2 billion people is a huge challenge. There will be security issues too. I think this project is 10 times bigger than any such ongoing task in the world.”

 

 “Providing UID to 1.2 billion people is a huge challenge. There will be security issues too. I think this project is 10 times bigger than any such ongoing task in the world.”

Word of Advice to Nandan the Chief of UID in India. 

The UID to 1.2 Billion People of India on Just a press of a Button.

There can not be a bigger achievement when it comes to the hassle of verification, and identification processes which a essential part of any documentation for any purpose and activity any India will go thru or is required to engage in.

The area which will be out side the envelope of network will be the Foreign Nationals, and People with Indian origin and visitors and tourists or employees working and visiting India for short term and long term stay.

The stage next could be to bring all the visa and immigration system to and identification no. supported by the thumb impression of each individual visiting India and his or her record of movement and propose of stay and engagement.

It is important the process of developing the similar system for foreigners and people with Indian origin is made in place simultaneously.
 This is a very massive exercise and involves huge data collection and millions of man hours, the initiative of the govt and the Chief of UID is remarkable.

The Developed countries have this system in place since early seventies, and eighties, all those where,  manual and physical identifications.  

To compile the whole data in a single severer and data base with instant search and reverting information is just remarkable. 

Well done Mr. Nandan N. the Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh deserves three cheers for this institutive.