The Unique Identification (UID) project, headed by Nandan Nilekani, has been renamed ‘Aadhaar’, which means foundation or support.
The UID Authority of India (UIDAI), which aims to give the 1.2 billion residents of the country a unique 12-digit identification number, also unveiled a new logo that depicts a yellow-coloured sun with a fingerprint in the centre. The logo was selected after a nationwide competition that received 2,000 entries.
“The UID itself is very confusing. Some people call it DUI, somebody calls it IUD and so forth. So it was getting a little difficult to explain all the various permutations and combinations of this acronym. Also, we wanted a name and logo that would communicate a sense of confidence to the common people — a name with a national appeal and easy to remember,” said Nilekani while unveiling the new name and logo here today.
Emphasising that ‘Aadhaar’ would communicate the essence of UID to all, Nilekani said: “We wanted a name that had a national appeal, could be recognised across the country and resonate in different languages, besides being easy to remember and speak. Aadhaar is a door to open all other doors.”
The authority has been allocated Rs 1,900 crore for the financial year ending March 31, 2011, of which Rs 1,300 crore will be used to enable the registrars to enroll people in the system and the remaining Rs 600 crore will go towards the setting up of the IT infrastructure. “The 13th Finance Commission has given Rs 3,000 crore over the next five years. So, funds are not an issue,” Nilekani added, without giving a timeframe for the first set of numbers to be launched.
Earlier this year, the Commission, headed by Vijay L Kelkar, granted Rs 2,989.1 crore to the UID project through two grants of Rs 616 crore each for District Innovation Funds and improving statistical systems at district and state levels, besides a grant of Rs 225 crore to set up database of employees and pensioners.
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Nilekani added there would be one software developer who would work with the registrars and the tender for it has been finalised. “The UIDAI will not make the number mandatory, but it is up to the registrars to make it mandatory or not. We are also taking iris as a biometric, besides the ten fingerprints, because, in children, the fingerprints do not take form till six years of age. Also, labourers’ fingerprints get worn out,” he explained.
Currently, UIDAI is executing Proof of Concepts (PoCs) in three states — Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Bihar. These PoCs will enable certain systems to be tested before the concept is scaled up. The UIDAI plans to complete field testing on enrolment and biometric processes by mid-July.