Aadhaar gives identity to many Indians: Nilekani

 Nandan Nilekani, chairperson of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), on Friday claimed that Aadhaar has changed the lives of many an Indian.

“The project has been able to give identity to a large number of Indians, who earlier did not have documents such as identity proof. They are now able to get access to many facilities with the help of Aadhaar, as it served as an identity proof. Life has improved with Aadhaar,” Nilekani told reporters after visiting the traffic management centre (TMC) of the Bangalore City police.

He said: “Aadhaar is not a proof of citizenship, but serves as the basic identity proof.”
To a query, he said the fact that around 56 crore Indians had been given Aadhaar cards established its feasibility. “It is the world’s biggest social inclusion project that aims at public reforms and reducing corruption,” Nilekani added.

He said a petition against the UIDAI would come up for hearing in the Supreme Court on January 28. “The Standing Committee, which handled the Aadhaar project, did not violate any norms and the Cabinet took a decision to issue the number after carefully considering different aspects,” Nilekani said.

Tech-savvy traffic centre

Nilekani appreciated the increased use of technology in addressing traffic-related issues in the City and termed the TMC as the most sophisticated centre in the country.
“The road infrastructure in Bangalore is limited, whereas the vehicle population is over 48 lakh. There is a lot of talent in the City and efforts should be made to evolve collaborative methods to engage people in addressing the traffic issues,” he said.
City Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar said Home  Minister K J George has decided to convene a meeting of stakeholders after the Assembly session, to take a decision on extending night life in the City.

When asked if the police were pressured by the Congress government to invite Nilekani, who is likely to contest from Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency on the Congress ticket, for political mileage and publicity, Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic and security) B Dayananda said Nilekani was one of the guests invited to the TMC’s inauguration. He could not attend it for certain reasons. He was invited as part of the recent trend of the traffic police to invite a dignitary to the TMC for interaction and people-friendly suggestions.