Aadhaar, passport, voter-ID in one: Shah talks about multipurpose card
Indians could soon be issued a multipurpose card. This card, whose idea was proposed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, can be used as Aadhaar card, passport, voter ID, driving license, etc. "We do not have the scheme to introduce multi-purpose identity cards but this a possibility," Shah said on Monday. He also said the Census 2021 data will be collected digitally. Here's more.
Shah made these statements at the stone laying ceremony for the construction of Registrar General of India (RGI)'s building. The RGI is responsible for the enumeration exercise. Revealing that the traditional process of counting will be done away with, Shah added, "A mobile app will be used in Census 2021. It will be a transformation from paper census to digital census."
Shah also said that there should be a system that if a person dies, the information should be automatically updated in population data. He added that Rs. 12,000 crore will be spent on the 2021 Census, which will be the eighth one since independence. Further, the Home Minister told that for the first time a National Population Register is being prepared.
"NPR will prove to be a game-changer. Digital census has many benefits. If a child takes birth and does not die up to the age of 18, shouldn't he or she be able to vote automatically without applying for a voter ID card," Shah said.
Interestingly, the government had announced in March that the monumental task of counting the population will take place in two phases. The reference date will be March 1, 2021, and for snow-bound areas of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be October 1, 2020. Nearly 33 lakh officials will be tasked with going door-to-door for the exercise.
By speaking about a multipurpose card, Shah hinted that BJP veteran LK Advani's idea could be renewed. The government wanted to issue these cards earlier too, but its plans were washed away when Aadhaar became the "primary database" for Indians. Though Shah didn't get into workings of NPR or the multipurpose card, he said they will help "in law and order, and controlling crime".
