Government ID, Smart Cards, Identification and Authentication

Indian government deems unique ID more practical than smart cards

Monday, January 9, 2012

The government of India’s Planning Commission has announced that for electronic transfer of benefits to the rural poor, a unique identification number scheme is a more practical option than issuing smart cards, reports The Telegraph.

The Planning Commission and India’s Home Ministry have competing plans for the Unique Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI) benefits transfer in the public distribution system. The Home Ministry’s concept uses smart cards that are read with a non-Internet card reader as a way to issue benefits, an idea the Planning Commission says is dependent on the need for having card-reading devices in order to redeem the benefits.

The Planning Commission further argued that UID numbers could be used in conjunction with mobile phones using a secure connection.

By the end of the current fiscal year, the UIDAI project plans to issue 200 million Aadhaar numbers.

Read more here. [end] 

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