Tunni Rai: A life without identity
29 May 2012 Last updated at 19:22 ET
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-18001536
“A moving glimpse into what it means to live without official identity in India.” –rdm
India’s identity divide
- Only 58% of children born in India are registered at birth
- Many families don’t know about the need for a birth certificate
- More than a dozen other documents can be accepted as proof of identity
- Lack of papers can hamper access to public services and banking
- Unique identity (UID) scheme launched in 2010 is world’s biggest biometric ID project
- 200 million Indians have already signed up, target is 400 million by the end of 2012
From Wikipedia:
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) (Hindi: भारतीय विशिष्ट पहचान प्राधिकरण), is an agency of the Government of India responsible for implementing the AADHAAR scheme, a unique identification project.
UID project is known as AADHAAR meaning ‘support’ or ‘foundation’, and its logo is a yellow sun with a fingerprint embedded in its centre.
Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique number which the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will issue for all residents in India. The number will be stored in a centralized database and linked to the basic demographics and biometric information – photograph, ten fingerprints and iris – of each individual.