6 SEP, 2011, 04.19AM IST, ET BUREAU
NEW DELHI: The Home Ministry has identified flaws in the enrolment process followed by the Unique Identification Authority of India, citing cases where people have got UID numbers on the basis of false affadivits.
In a note written to the Cabinet Committee on UIDAI headed by Prime Minister Mannohan Singh, the ministry has questioned the security of the biometric data captured by the UIDAI and pointed out uncertainties in its revenue model.
The UIDAI has sought an additional 15,000 crore to do biometric scanning of all residents of the country through its own registrars, a proposal that is being opposed by the home ministry and the planning commission, as the government has already tasked the census office with the primary responsibility of collecting biometric data of all indian residents for a National Population register card.
The data collected by the census office is supposed to be shared with the UIDAI and every NPR card will carry the UID number of the card holder. The census office is part of the home ministry and so far has collected biometric data for 30 lakh individuals.
In its comments on the UIDAI's proposal, reviewed by ET, the home ministry has urged the Cabinet to restrict the authority's multi-registrar model of biometric enrolment to the already decided level of 20 crore by March 2012. The UIDAI has issued 2.87 crore unique IDs by August 24.
"The home ministry, the Planning Commission and others have given their comments," Home Minister P Chidambaram said about the UIDAI proposal for more funding on Thursday. He also said that the Cabinet Committee on UIDAI (CCUIDAI) would take a call on the overlap between the NPR and the UIDAI.
"Cases have come to light wherein enrolments were being done on the basis of affidavits which were being sold by unscrupulous persons without any verification," the ministry has warned in a note to the CCUIDAI, stressing that UIDAI registrars enrol residents on a 'walk-in' basis, based on documents whose authenticity is not checked.
In a note written to the Cabinet Committee on UIDAI headed by Prime Minister Mannohan Singh, the ministry has questioned the security of the biometric data captured by the UIDAI and pointed out uncertainties in its revenue model.
The UIDAI has sought an additional 15,000 crore to do biometric scanning of all residents of the country through its own registrars, a proposal that is being opposed by the home ministry and the planning commission, as the government has already tasked the census office with the primary responsibility of collecting biometric data of all indian residents for a National Population register card.
The data collected by the census office is supposed to be shared with the UIDAI and every NPR card will carry the UID number of the card holder. The census office is part of the home ministry and so far has collected biometric data for 30 lakh individuals.
In its comments on the UIDAI's proposal, reviewed by ET, the home ministry has urged the Cabinet to restrict the authority's multi-registrar model of biometric enrolment to the already decided level of 20 crore by March 2012. The UIDAI has issued 2.87 crore unique IDs by August 24.
"The home ministry, the Planning Commission and others have given their comments," Home Minister P Chidambaram said about the UIDAI proposal for more funding on Thursday. He also said that the Cabinet Committee on UIDAI (CCUIDAI) would take a call on the overlap between the NPR and the UIDAI.
"Cases have come to light wherein enrolments were being done on the basis of affidavits which were being sold by unscrupulous persons without any verification," the ministry has warned in a note to the CCUIDAI, stressing that UIDAI registrars enrol residents on a 'walk-in' basis, based on documents whose authenticity is not checked.