Unique ID to give poor more access to govt schemes: Nilekani

"This project is pro-poor and inclusive and targeted mainly towards the poor. The middle class and the rich have some form of identity. People on the margins are getting lost because of lack of identity," Nilekani said at an event here yesterday evening.

The aim of the project, he said, is to provide a robust system to eliminate duplicate and fake identities.

"Exclusion of the poor from the mainstream is mainly due to lack of identity and the UID will help them to get all sorts of benefits," Nilekani said.

The 16-digit unique number is likely to be rolled out in 2011. "UID is not just a number but a passport that opens many doors," he said.

A three-member team of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) students showed a presentation on UID scheme to Nilekani at the event.

According to the students, Nilekani should make use of NGOs and SHGs for promoting UID among the urban and rural poor besides eliciting services of post office and the All India Radio for easy penetration in rural areas.

"Also, you (Nilekani) should co-ordinate with FMCG companies to propagate this information on their products like soap and salt....," they said.