A Unique Identity Card for Each Indian Citizen

You may have heard about SSN (Social Security Number) in United States. SSN is a nine digit number that is issued to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The key purpose behind issuing the SSN is to track the individuals for taxation purpose.

India is now ready to take the same path. The giant project of providing Unique Identity (UID) to more than one billion citizens of India is geared up to be taken by the Government of India.

The two premier institutes of Ahmedabad,India, IIM-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) and National Institute of Design-Ahmedabad (NID), remain as a heart of this project. IIM-A is a notable international school of management. NID is one of the internationally acclaimed institutes in the field of design and research. Mr.Rajanish Dass, professor at IIM-A is a mind behind rolling out this project. This initiative is based on Mr.Rajanish Dass’s research paper - Creation of a Single National ID: Challenges & Opportunities for India.

The Unique Identity Card is to be designed by NID and for that, it is already preparing the data collection form. As published by The Times of India, It took the three-member NID team of Pradyumna Vyas, Rupesh Vyas and Pradeep Nahar two years and fifty designs before they could finalise the winning combination, which aptly defined the purpose of the card.

“We had to be extra cautious since the visual elements had to integrate well with the security concerns and also appeal to the user — the Indian citizen,”

said an NID official.

The existing identification proof system in India contains documents like PAN (Permanent Account Number) Card, Driving Licence, Passport, Voter Card. They all serve differently and have limited purposes. Like, If you have to provide your residence address somewhere, PAN Card will not do your job because it doesn't reveal your address. Moreover, it generally applies only to taxpayers. A driving licence sometimes can't be your identity proof because it shows a very small sized photograph of the holder making it difficult to identify. A Voter Card only enlists the persons above the 18 years.

The I-Card will contain a unique number for each Indian citizen, a clear photograph and biometric data from birth to death. The main purpose behind this project is to reduce the identity related frauds, security issues and wastage of resources.