The Unique Identification Authority of India, or the UIDAI, is an agency of the Government of India responsible for implementing the envisioned Multipurpose National Identity Card or Unique Identification card (UID Card) project in India. It was established in February 2009, and will own and operate the Unique Identification Number database.The authority will aim at providing a unique number to all Indians, but not smart cards. The authority would provide a database of residents containing very simple data in biometrics.
The agency is headed by a chairman, holds a cabinet rank. The UIDAI is part of the Planning Commission of India. Nandan Nilekani, a former co-chairman of Infosys Technologies, was appointed as the first Chairman of the authority in June 2009. Ram Sewak Sharma, an IAS Officer of Jharkhand Government cadre has been appointed as the Director General and Mission Director of the Authority. He is known for his best effort in e-Governance project for Jharkhand State and working as an IT secretary he received a number of awards for best Information Technology Trends State in India.
Name and logo:
UID project is known as AADHAAR meaning 'support', and its logo is a yellow sun with a fingerprint embedded in its centre.
Projected costs and business opportunities :
One estimate of the cost to completely roll-out National IDs to all Indian residents above the age of 18 has been placed at Rs 150,000 crore (US$ 31.95 billion). A different estimate puts it at US$ 6 billion.A sum of Rs. 100 crore (US$ 21.3 million) was approved in the 2009-2010 union budget to fund the agency for its first year of existence. UID has received a huge boost with Dr Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of Finance, allocating Rs 1900 crore to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for 2010-11.
Initial estimates project that the initiative will create 1000 new jobs in the country, and business opportunities worth Rs 6,500 crore (US$ 1.38 billion) in the first phase of...