Residents to get UID number in 40 days

Within 40 days, Gurgaon residents will start getting their 12-digit Unique Identification (UID) or Adhaar number as the registration process kicked off at seven centres in the city on July 27.

The project has been outsourced by the Planning Commission to Gurgaon-based private company Calace Software Private Limited for seven states.

To reduce duplication, the agency is digitally taking fingerprints and eye retina scans of all applicants. “Fingerprints can be tampered with but a retina scan cannot. If an applicant has already registered at a centre, the main database at the ministry will reject the second application automatically. This makes the process unique and error free. Citizens are being given an acknowledgment slip at present and the Adhaar card with the 12-digit UID will be sent to the resident's address within 40 days,” said Rajnish Chaubey, head of operations, Calace Software.

The project is being conducted in collaboration with the Central Bank of India which is supplying the company their database. The states where Calace is registering citizens include Haryana, Bihar and Punjab. Apart from seven centres in Gurgaon, camps have also been set up in Amritsar.

“This is a very good initiative taken up by the government and it reduces errors which we previously faced in our voter ID cards. Centres have been set up near our homes and it is very convenient for senior citizens like us,” said KN Seth, a resident of Sector 55.

More than 1,000 residents have registered at all the seven centres in the first two days while the Sector 55 camp alone has received 200 applications.

“The UID project will enable us to keep count of our population as well which was very difficult till date as the card can be made for anybody above the age of five,” Mahesh Dayma, municipal councillor of ward no 32, said.

The company is also putting up posters and hoardings in the city to spread awareness and encourage more people to come forward and register.

First Published: Jul 30, 2011 00:38 IST