The Election Commission has failed to provide smart National Identity Cards to 8.7 crore out of 9 crore voters though the World Bank funded smart NID Card Project ends in December.
Launched in in December 2011 the project was planned to provide smart NID Cards to nine crore voters having the previous NID Cards.
In 2017, the EC provided only 23 lakh smart NID Cards until May, the EC’s NID wing officials told New Age.
The project was named ‘Identification System for Enhancing Access to Services.’
NID wing officials said that due to shortage of machinery and equipment it would not be possible to provide 8.7 crore remaining smart NID cards in next six months.
They said that the imported blank smart cards need to be personalized before providing them to the registered voters.
They said that the EC takes voters’ fingerprints and iris images with only 200 machines out of which 50 were out of order.
Last week, they said, the EC approved NID wing’s proposal to procure at least 4,000 new machines for speedy taking voters’ fingerprints and iris impressions.
In April, the EC rejected NID wing’s proposal to discontinue collection of voters’ fingerprints and iris impression while providing smart NID y Cards as the exercise slows down the process, they said.
The distribution of smart NID Cards began last year after wasting much time on the preparations due to legal complications, EC secretary M Abdullah told New Age Monday.
He also said that the EC would request the World Bank to extend the project.
He said that the import of blank smart cards from France also took time.
He said the EC decided to take a new project for providing smart NID cards to 23 lakh new voters who were enrolled after December 2014.
NID wing officials said that distribution of smart NID cards in district towns would begin as soon as the blank cards for the registered voters in the sadar upazials had been personalized.
On March 9, 2016, prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated distribution of smart NID Cards to replace the laminated NID Cards.
8.7cr voters yet to get smart NIDs
