Montek Singh says UID project should go on

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Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Monday defended the Unique Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI) Adhaar project stating that it was an important national project and should continue without interruptions.

Speaking to mediapersons here after a meeting with ministers and members of Planning Board, Mr Ahluwalia said the scheme was important as it would ensure greater efficiency for implementing a large number of government schemes.

Dr Ahluwalia’s statement comes close on the heels of Union Home Minister Mr P. Chidambaram writing to the prime minister alleging that the biometric census done by the UID project did not pass the security criteria.

Reacting to this, Dr Ahluwalia said, “We have sent a note to the Cabinet explaining our position on the issue.”

“We hope the matter will come up for discussion at the next meeting on Wednesday.”

The Cabinet is expected to take up the matter involving expansion of the UID’s mandate to cover over 200 million residents and giving the Authority a statutory status.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Home Affairs is also expected to seek a Cabinet nod for its ambitious Rs 6,700 crore project which entails issuing smart identity cards under the National Population Register (NPR) to all residents in the country with biometric details.

Mr Montek said the Adhaar work could go along with the RGI work. “We don’t have any problems if the Home Minister want to do it differently. We are not talking about national security we are only talking about Adhaar cards,” he added.