Project Aadhar moves forward despite opposition from sections of the government.

The Identification card to be issued to the India’s poor, runs into more political deadlock as the government battles with the Unique Identification Authority of India.

The Unique Identification Authority of India, headed by Mr. Nandan Nilekani had previously propped that a sum of Rs. 100 be given to the poor as an incentive, tempting them into applying for the ID card. The reality is that, of the 60 crore Indians who are expected to apply got the ID card, most will not. There are a variety of reason why. Awareness is one. Suspicion is the other. Many people will be unsure how this ID card will make matters better for them. Hence the Incentive. The Unique Identification Authority of India felt that the incentive will ensure that the estimated 60 crore will apply for the card.

However, the Expenditure Finance committee of the Finance Ministry said it will not sanction the 6,700 crores that the project has budgeted for Phase I. The committee said that it is willing to sanction 3,500 crores, which the project must use to make ID cards for 10 crore Below Poverty Line (BPL) Indians in the next 18 months.

Sources from the Government said that the differences were not purely monetary. The politicians disliked the entry of a private sector person, Mr. Nandan Nilekani, into the fray. This sentiment is, however only shared by a few. Several other Ministers and eco – political experts say the working of an outsider might actually help to get the work done.

In the meanwhile, Project Aadhar is showing all signs of progressing steadily. Work has been started on linking UID data with food security and the public distribution system, the NREGA payments, and with the government’s stated aims on financial inclusion. The success of this project is essential for the central government, as it is a big step forward into the integrations and development of a huge, erstwhile neglected section of India’s population.