TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Gandhinagar: Gujarat government has been forced to clarify to Government of Indias Unique Identity (UID) project chief Nandan Nilekani that the states decision to create a complete data base of every citizen ordinarily residing in Gujarat does not propose to duplicate the centres UID.
On the basis of media reports that two state government departments revenue and food and civil supplies were involved in working out states own UID project,Nilekani had sought explanation on why Gujarat was going ahead with its own UID project when the Centres project was in its advanced stages of implementation.
Nilekani asked Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey,deputy director,UID,to seek clarification from the Gujarat government.Pandey,in turn,mailed to additional chief secretary,planning,Varun Maira,to find out the truth.Sources said,Maira has replied back,saying Gujarats project has a two-fold aim creating a bar-coded ration card and identifying beneficiaries of government schemes and subsidies.
When approached,Maira,who is responsible for implementing UID in Gujarat,told TOI,Our idea of creating a data base has been loosely termed as UID.It is not UID.But the details that we gather from individual households can be integrated into Nilekanis project.
Gandhinagar: Gujarat government has been forced to clarify to Government of Indias Unique Identity (UID) project chief Nandan Nilekani that the states decision to create a complete data base of every citizen ordinarily residing in Gujarat does not propose to duplicate the centres UID.
On the basis of media reports that two state government departments revenue and food and civil supplies were involved in working out states own UID project,Nilekani had sought explanation on why Gujarat was going ahead with its own UID project when the Centres project was in its advanced stages of implementation.
Nilekani asked Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey,deputy director,UID,to seek clarification from the Gujarat government.Pandey,in turn,mailed to additional chief secretary,planning,Varun Maira,to find out the truth.Sources said,Maira has replied back,saying Gujarats project has a two-fold aim creating a bar-coded ration card and identifying beneficiaries of government schemes and subsidies.
When approached,Maira,who is responsible for implementing UID in Gujarat,told TOI,Our idea of creating a data base has been loosely termed as UID.It is not UID.But the details that we gather from individual households can be integrated into Nilekanis project.