Unique ID authority's approach for data collection finalised

A cabinet panel today approved the approach to be adopted by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for collecting demographic and biometric data, the authority's chairman said.

A cabinet panel on Tuesday approved the approach to be adopted by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for collecting demographic and biometric data, the authority's chairman said.

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"For the demographic aspect, we will be recording the name, date of birth, sex, address and name of father/mother/guardian. On the biometric side, we will be taking prints of all 10 fingers, a photograph of the face and an image of the iris of every individual," UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani told reporters in New Delhi.

He was speaking after the first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Unique Identification Authority of India chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

He also said the authority was drafting a law governing its functioning and to ensure that the data collected remained confidential.

"This will soon be put in the public domain for discussion before being finalised and tabled in parliament," Nilekani said.

"In addition, we have suggested an umbrella law to cover the protection of all data collected in any manner."

The first batch of unique ID numbers will be rolled out between August of this year and February 2011.