The Election Commission is planning to issue laminated national ID cards rather than smartcards due to the high demand of applicants.
EC officials informed reporters that the NID wing office is crowded every day as citizens seek the ID cards because they are required to make use of several important services, such as opening bank accounts, getting a mobile phone SIM and utility services.
The Bangladesh Public Service Commission has recently made NID cards mandatory for those who want to take civil service exams.
Given the situation, the NID wing has proposed to issue laminated NID cards, its Director (Operations) Abdul Baten told reporters on Saturday.
Officials said they will start the process of distributing the laminated cards to 11.7 million voters as soon as the EC finalizes the matter.
In 2014, the EC agreed to a Tk 8 billion deal with French company Oberthur Technologies to produce and distribute 90 million smartcards for Bangladeshi citizens.
After several delays, the distribution of the smartcards began in 2016. However, the voter number increased to 101.7 million in 2017.
NID wing official Baten said that citizens who were included in the database since 2014 received neither laminated ID cards nor smartcards.
“Without the ID cards, they face several problems. Also, those who need to update their information cannot proceed without the cards,” he said.
Baten says old laminated cards could serve as a plausible solution to the problem.
According to the Election Working Group, a platform of 28 polls observers, voters’ info in the electoral roll, used in the polls held in 2015 and 2016, were 90 percent accurate.
The NID wing chief, however, says voters can correct their information without the ID cards.
“It can be done at the Upazila Election Offices,” Director General Md Saidul Islam said adding that thereceipt provided by the NID wing, along with the required fees and documents, is enough for applications to update voters’ information.
Source: The Daily Ittefaq