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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Chidambaram seeks Cabinet meeting to resolve UID row by Rajeev Deshpande

Chidambaram seeks Cabinet meeting to resolve UID row by Rajeev Deshpande

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published Published on Jan 20, 2012   modified Modified on Jan 20, 2012

Home minister P Chidambaram has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, requesting him to call a Cabinet meeting to sort out differences between North Block and Planning Commission that threaten to scupper the ambitious programme.

"I request that you may kindly instruct the Planning Commission to immediately bring a note to the Cabinet that the cabinet secretariat to list the note before the Cabinet so that a final decision can be taken in the matter," Chidambaram wrote to the PM on Thursday.

The home minister has protested against "inspired stories in the media painting the MHA black and presenting distorted facts" and said it would not be in the interest of the government to allow the "controversy" to be played out in the media.

North Block is locked in an increasingly bitter argument with the Planning Commission and the UID Authority of India (UIDAI) over which agency should be charged with capturing the biometric data with Chidambaram strongly arguing that the mandate lies with the Registrar General of India (RGI).

Planning Commission deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia and UIDAI chief Nandan Nilekani feel the authority should be the repository of the data as it has successfully recorded biometric details for more than 10 crore individuals and expects to touch 20 crore by March.

The dispute has been dragging on for months and is casting a shadow over what was touted to be a showcase initiative enjoying the support of the Congress leadership and closely monitored by the PM himself.

The rub lies in UIDAI not having a mandate to proceed beyond 20 crore unique numbers and issues have been raised that the data was being recorded without much concern to establishing the bona-fide of persons as opposed to the Census practice of visiting residences.

The home ministry's view that as unique identity would be a one-stop ticket to facilities like opening bank accounts or getting passports, the collection methodology needs to be sensitive to security imperatives is countered by the Plan panel and Nilekani who feel this is a bureaucratic approach that will mire the project in red tape.

The programme enjoys the support of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi, but the sticking point over who will collect the data has festered into an acrimonious stand-off. "...a few months ago I had requested the Planning Commission to bring a paper to the cabinet or the appropriate cabinet committee and obtain a decision in the matter. I had also spoken to the deputy chairman several times," Chidambaram has said.

So far, the project has made good progress and the home minister, while not disagreeing with its aims, seems to have taken umbrage to the perceived bid to present him as the hurdle to what is seen as a crucial UPA-II programme that will be linked to ensuring entitlements like food security reach the deserving beneficiaries while choking off leakages.

The war over unique identity has seen both sides hardening their positions as Chidambaram may receive the support of other ministers in the Cabinet who share his unease over the Authority's methodology which, apart from the biometric capture procedures, does not discriminate between "citizens" and "residents".

Parliament's finance standing committee has also recorded its dissent over the UID bill which it said did not resolve the overlap between the Authority and RGI. The panel has asked the government to redraft the bill before bringing it to Parliament.

The Times of India, 20 January, 2012, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Chidambaram-seeks-Cabinet-meeting-to-resolve-UID-row/articleshow/11560485.cms


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