UID has new Name and Logo
The ambitious unique identity project of the Union Government of India has got its new name, 'AADHAAR' along with its logo on Monday 26th April, 2010 at long seminar in New Delhi. This unique identity project aims to give an exclusive 16-digit number to all citizens of the country. The new logo 'AADHAAR' to the unique identity project of India was disclosed by Nadan Nilekani, Chairman of the Unique Identity Authority (UIDAI) of India. The new logo of the project is a sun in yellow and a fingerprint in the centre. The name and logo, said by Nilekani, have been selected for their national appeal and that they can be easily recognized and remembered.
This photo indicates the logo of 'AADHAAR' which is shown at the both left and right side of Nadan Nilekani
Nandan Nilenkani who is heading of the project, in explaining the reason behind the name change he said, "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 this various permutations, combinations of this acronym. Therefore, we wanted a name that could effectively communicate its transformational potential and its promise to residents. Something that had a national appeal that could be recognized across the country could resonate in different languages and easy to remember and speak".
It is said by Nilekani that Aadhaar gives a unique identity to all India's citizens as well as plug leaks in the public distribution system (PDS), which cost the Centre Rs 72,000 crore a year in food subsidies. People who live below the poverty line will get Rs 100 each as they are allotted the Aadhar number. For receiving registered in the Aadhar scheme, a funding of about Rs 2,980 crore has been made by the Finance Commission for incentive people who might forgo a day's income to travel and get them enrolled.
The logo was selected after a nationwide competition. Also, Dhaneshwar Ram, a resident of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, was invited by the UIDAI to speak on the destitutions faced by the ordinary man in getting an identity at present. The logo was produced by Atul Sudhakarrao Pande who is a Mumbai resident and a cheque of Rs. 1 lakh was given by him after his design was selected among over 2000 entries.
The project is mainly aimed for the under privileged and the poor people who does not take the benefit of the government's social schemes because of lack of identity proof. "AADHAAR is the first identity project which is aiming at the poor and marginalised. Earlier all such schemes use to cater only to security but AADHAAR caters to both", said by R Chandra Shekhar who is Secretary of the Department of Information Technology. According to the UIDAI Director General R S Sharma, the first 16 digit number would be expected to be given out in early 2011 and a target to provide 600 million UIDs in the next five years.