30 January 2009

India may soon have national identity card

A high-powered government committee has suggested the Indian government introduces a national identity card to curb the levels of illegal immigration, reports the Indian Express.

The committee feels illegal Indian immigration is posing a serious threat to national community, and that "...one way of dealing with this issue (of illegal immigration) is by means of a citizen's identity number or card," the second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) report on promoting e-governance said.

The largest threat reportedly is coming from Bangladesh, where increasing numbers of illegal immigrants and terrorists are crossing the border into India.

A Multi-purpose National Identity Card has already been trialled in a pilot programme in select areas of 13 districts in 12 states and one Union Territory.

The project would focus on protecting India's borders, delivering services to the citizens and taking development programmes to the target population.

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