India is making progress on its ID card scheme, and has appointed Nilekani as Chairperson of the UIDAI.

The new Chairperson of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has been announced as Mr Nandan Nilekani, former Infosys Chairman and Member of the Board.

He is now in charge of one of the world’s largest e-governance projects. The UIDAI was set up by India’s central government in January 2009 to assist with national security and help the government target things such as welfare payments and aid more effectively.

The scheme will provide every Indian citizen – 1.2 billion people – with a unique 16-digit number, biometric data and photograph, and will also issue ID cards and create an ID database to store the details. Every citizen will be issued with an ID card at the age of 18, and will keep it with them for a lifetime.

Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) commented on the development: “This move will bestow the benefits of information technology to the common man and will also help establish citizenship, thus enhancing security at various levels. This would further bring transparency in different delivery channels, help in mapping diverse requirements of the nation and in turn, assure better planning and strategization for the country.”

However, the scheme has come under criticism. Talking to the Independent newspaper, Charu Lata Hogg, an associate fellow of the Asia programme at Chatham House, said: “It cannot be denied that the system of proving identity in India is complicated and confusing. But a system of national ID cards can technically introduce a new route to citizenship.

“This could be used as a security measure by the government which leaves migrant workers, refugees and other stateless people in India in limbo, without access to public services, employment and basic welfare.”

Infosys designs and delivers technology-enabled business solutions and has more than 50 offices worldwide, headquartered in India. Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy, Infosys Chairman and Chief Mentor, said of Nilekani’s resignation and new appointment to UIDAI: “We are glad that an extraordinary individual like Nandan has got an opportunity to add value to India through this position. We, the Infoscions, wish him the best in his new assignment.”

The ID card scheme is expected to be in place in the next couple of years.