All set for Aadhaar rollout, says Nilekani

The government's ambitious unique ID project will start rolling out the UID numbers over the next few days, and will enrol 600 million members in the first three to four years, Nandan Nilekani, chairman of the Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI), said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a function organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata, Nilekani once again clarified that UID will not be a proof of citizenship, but will be an online authentication system to verify a person's identity.

The UIDAI has registered about 220 enrolment agencies which will collect data on behalf of the registrars. The authority has made sure that all entities collecting data follows the same quality standards, for which hardware and software specifications have been laid down.

''We are developing a system that will also enable verification over mobile network and use simple devices like mobile phones attached with biometric equipment. UID will comprise of name, date of birth, sex and father's name along with fingerprints as well as both the irises. The online verification system will just take about 7-8 seconds to authenticate and the answer will come in the form of a simple 'yes or no','' Nilekani said.

''Once the enrolment process is started and numbers are assigned to individuals various services and applications based on the UID system will be developed. These applications can offer various services to masses at large. It will essentially help in offering better delivery services by the government in sectors like public distribution system, healthcare and disbursement of pension as well as banking facilities,'' he added.

Interestingly, Nilekani said that the Reserve Bank of India is in the process of rolling out a road map for financial inclusion along with banks and institutions which can develop applications based on the UID systems. Nevertheless, including people outside the system with no proof of identity is a challenge. Therefore UIDAI has devised a system where a non-government organisation (NGO) or an introducer can stand guarantee for such persons.