2011-09-26 13:14:28.0
Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India, Nandan Nilekani, has said that the ‘Aadhaar’ card is necessary for all Indians. At a function in Pune, Nilekani said that lack of proof of identity remains a challenge for many Indians, especially at a time of large scale rural-to-urban migration.
“The moment you become a migrant, you are rendered anonymous in terms of drawing benefits such as ration card supplies, public health, education schemes etc.,” he said.
Nilekani said that of country's 1.2 billion population, only 50 million i.e. less than 5% hold a passport, close to 100 million people have PAN cards and another 200 million have driving licenses. "A vast section of people does not have any ID proof,” he said.