Express News Service Posted online:
Sun Oct 09 2011, 02:49 hrs
Kolkata : West Bengal needs nearly 3100 biometric kits immediately to step up the preparation of National Population Register and issuance of Resident Identity Card (RIC), containing Unique Identification Number (UID), a scheme of the Union Home ministry. At present, it has got only about 200 kits that have been put to use in certain districts. But the demand falls far short of the requirement, casting doubts over the completion of the job within a specified time frame.
A review meeting on the progress of preparation of the NPR was held last week in New Delhi and West Bengal was found to be lagging behind many other states. A deadline of December 2012 was set for the work to be completed and Bengal was asked to speed up its drive for the NPR.
However, the Union Home ministry officials have assured the state government representatives that it will facilitate the supply of biometric kits, each one of which costs close to about Rs 1.5 lakh. A consortium of companies like the BHEL, the ECIL and ITI have been entrusted with the responsibility of supplying the biometric kits.
Meanwhile, the Union Home ministry has agreed to the West Bengal government’s suggestion of incorporating four criteria in the database of each individual to be registered with the NPR. These are in addition to the 15 point personal details that the Union government had devised for the database to be created for each resident. The state government wanted PAN number, Electronic Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) number, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Job card number and a recently concluded National Rural Household Survey particulars to be included into the database.
The National Population Register and the issuance of Resident Identity Card envisage collection of personal details of all residents of the country along with photographs and 10 finger prints and Iris mapping for all of the age of 5 and above. The NPR will contain the details of all the “usual residents” of the country regardless of whether they are citizens or non-citizens.
However, the Union Home ministry officials have assured the state government representatives that it will facilitate the supply of biometric kits, each one of which costs close to about Rs 1.5 lakh. A consortium of companies like the BHEL, the ECIL and ITI have been entrusted with the responsibility of supplying the biometric kits.
Meanwhile, the Union Home ministry has agreed to the West Bengal government’s suggestion of incorporating four criteria in the database of each individual to be registered with the NPR. These are in addition to the 15 point personal details that the Union government had devised for the database to be created for each resident. The state government wanted PAN number, Electronic Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) number, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Job card number and a recently concluded National Rural Household Survey particulars to be included into the database.
The National Population Register and the issuance of Resident Identity Card envisage collection of personal details of all residents of the country along with photographs and 10 finger prints and Iris mapping for all of the age of 5 and above. The NPR will contain the details of all the “usual residents” of the country regardless of whether they are citizens or non-citizens.