Aadhaar: The wonder card?

It promises to be the identity of every Indian, the identity which will make him/her belong to India, no matter which state (s)he is from, which bank account (s)he operates or which shop (s)he gets his groceries from. It is with this idea that UID (Unique Identification number) was created. It has been described as India's game-changer and the country's springboard to social and financial inclusion. 

Did you know that once enrolled, you can also print your own Aadhaar Card and in the near future, a bank can also use your UID to give you a personalised card which has your UID integrated into it? “The plan is to create an apps-based economy. We have made the card in such a way that various players can build on the UID.” When none other than Nandan Nilekani, chairman, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), says this, you know there is vision in the mission. Nilekani was speaking at the MindMine Exchange, a key session at the MindMine Summit 2013. 

Speaking on ‘The Aadhaar project and the way forward’, Nilekani said that the UIDAI has set a target of enrolling 600 million people for Aadhaar numbers by the end of 2014, and so far it has already issued over 310 million Aadhaar numbers. He added that every direct benefit transfer scheme is based on the Aadhaar platform. The government has already started the Aadhaar-based direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme in 43 districts in the first three months of 2013, and its implementation will help in reducing irregularities, he said.