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Government may be using all the 10 fingerprints or opt for iris scanning for gathering data during 2011 census for the National Population Register. This will make the access of data easier for the Unique Identification Number project.
The Unique Identification Number (UID) scheme, which is expected to roll out the first number in 12-18 months, will be first conferred on the beneficiaries of the centre's flagship programme under the NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act).
The unique 16-digit UID will not confer any rights.
He said "several thousand crore" will be required to fund the scheme but details of who exactly will do the financing are yet to be finalised. He dismissed reports that the project would cost about 1.5 lakh crore.
The UID is a concept designed mainly as an inclusive scheme for the benefit of the poor and the marginalised and for better targeting of anti-poverty and developmental programmes which are now plagued by inadequacies like duplicate and anonymous beneficiaries, he said in an interview to PTI.
“We have an agreement with the Home Ministry that when they do the enumeration as part of the National Population Register, they do intend to capture the biometrics using the standards that we will publish," he said.
When asked if UID project will be a part of the 2011 census, he said "I told you as part of NPR, they are going to collect data in our format."
Briefing about the biometric measures used for collecting data for NPR, he mentioned that the finals details will be decided on later.
"We certainly think we will take all the ten finger prints. We will take a picture. The question we don't know whether at this scale of operation, 10 fingerprints will be adequate... we have not closed the option of an iris scan," he said when asked if his office was also looking at the possibility of taking iris scan rather than finger prints.
He mentioned that a biometric committee under Dr B K Gairola, Director General of National Informatics Centre, has been set up for serving the purpose.
"These are all designs choices that we will freeze in the next 3-4 months," he said.
The UID number will be an identity to all people, especially the poor and marginalised so that they can avail the government services without any problems.
