The mammoth digital database will have individual identification details like name, age, address, photographs and biometric signatures like fingerprints. The database will also contain the unique identification (UID) number.
The database will help the government reach out even to the poorest of society and having a better security infrastructure, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said. The entire exercise will cost Rs 3,539.24 crore, she said.
Data collection will begin in April 2010 as a part of the 2011 Census and is expected to be completed by September. The enumeration, however,will take some more months as the entire process may be completed by 2011. Once the census data is tabulated, the database will be shared with the UID Authority of India which will generate the unique number against every individual. The final database, therefore, will have all identification details.
Soni said in some areas the data collection exercise has already been undertaken on a pilot basis. Individual particulars will be collected by house-to-house enumeration. The schedules in the population register will be filled up in English and local languages which will be followed by capturing the image and 10 fingerprints of all those who are 15 years and above.
