Friday, December 23 2005 17:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Inexperience in 'many areas' and non-availability of logistic support including electricity came in the way of implementation of the prestigious National Identity Card (NIC) at the earliest, Rajya Sabha was informed.

Tabling the Action Taken Report (ATR) in Rajya Sabha yesterday (Dec 22, 2005), Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the Government was committed to completing the Identity Card scheme at the earliest.

"The endeavor is to complete the project at the earliest. However, considering the fact that this project has complexities both in terms of the process and card management system and there is no past experience in many of the areas, it is taking time," Patil said in the report.

He was responding to the observations made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the NIC which had expressed the view that the shortfall of expenditure on such an important project having far reaching ramifications for the maintenance of internal security and useful in many other areas, was unacceptable.

Reasoning the delay, the ATR said that there were not requisite number of data entry operators in regional languages and at a number of places, power was not available for which generators had to be transported to remote areas for the purpose of photography and finger biometrics.

The report said that in the remote and inaccessible areas, it was difficult to carry computers and provide other logistic support.

Another important reason for delay in the implementation of pilot project was the time taken for verification in ascertaining citizenship of each person, the report said and added this was a tedious and time-consuming work which had to be handled delicately but firmly.

About the financial progress of the project so far, the report said out of the total budget of Rs 22 crore allocated during the financial year 2004-05, a total expenditure of Rs 7.61 crore was incurred.

The project has been placed on fast track and it was being monitored fortnightly by cabinet secretariat and the Prime Ministers Office, it added.

The final version of the design of card has been approved by the Union Home Minister, it said and added that the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has been tasked to network Multipurpose National Identity Card Center, set up in all states except Assam, with Registrar General of India's office.