NewDelhi: The possibility of the voluntary nature of the unique identity number project becoming virtually a compulsion in the light of entitlements being linked to the scheme saw members of a parliamentary panel quiz UID chief Nandan Nilekani about its pitfalls.
At a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee on Friday, MPs told Nilekani that despite his claims that the UID is just a number— not indicative of citizenship, caste or religion— it might be vital for beneficiaries of government schemes for the poor.
BJP MP Yashwant Sinha pointed out that once UID became a part of the PAN card issued by tax authorities or was used to identify beneficiaries of schemes like rural employment or cheap housing, it became a compulsion for users. The so-called voluntary nature of the scheme would not remain so. MPs also highlighted concerns over UID being issued to persons who are “residents of India” with Sinha telling Nilekani that his usage of “Indian residents” could be amended to “residents in India.”
While the UID rules provide for a UID to be issued on basis of a person being resident of an area for six months and a day, MPs wondered how migrant labourers would access the scheme. The MPs said that many labourers were keen on being recognized as residents of their hometowns rather than the cities they worked in.