In a compromise formula worked out at an informal meeting today, it has been proposed that the biometrics collected by the Unique Identification Authority of India (uidAI) would be accepted by the home ministry-backed National Population Register (NPR), and the two teams would work at their own pace with minimum duplication of biometric data.   A final decision will be taken on Friday when the cabinet committee on uid meets to discuss...

The government appears to be working towards an amicable solution on the question of who can collect biometric information data for the Indian population. There has been disagreement about whether this will be done by the uidAI headed by Nandan Nilekani, or the National Population Register headed by Home Minister P. Chidambaram. It now seems that both may continue to collect data but share its use. When any country sets about...

-CNN-IBN   The Cabinet Committee is meeting on Friday to discuss the Unique ID project row. Sources have indicated that a compromise has been reached. Both the Nandan Nilekani-led Unique ID Authority of India and the Registrar General of India will be carrying out parallel exercises to collect biometric data, they say. While the uidAI will do it in 13 states, the Registrar General of India will collect data in coastal areas and...

-The Telegraph   The Planning Commission and the home ministry appeared headed for a compromise on the unique identity project after the Prime Minister stepped in today to end the smart card versus identity number battle. Sources said Nandan Nilekani, who is chairing the unique identification authority, would be given a free run and the home ministry would be allowed to continue its work even if it means some duplication. “The overall message is...

Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia may be okay with a little overlap between the National Population Register exercise and uidAI's aadhar project, but an earlier note prepared by the Plan Panel had pegged the cost of this duplication at Rs 15,000 crore.  Based on the premise that increased accuracy of iris as a third biometric, as compared to the use of all ten fingerprints, was marginal, the Planning Commission,...