Umpteen Proofs, But No Identity

The Election Commission's special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and proposal to extend it to other states have stirred the hornet's nest of identity yet again.

- MS SAHOO Former Chairperson, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India

But identity challenges being faced by Indians run far deeper than the EC's periodic revisions. For many, it's a million mutinies a day as different authorities periodically unleash their own dream projects on identifying or improvising on the identification of their subjects.

Consider the nationwide systems. The passport system commenced in 1920 and was revamped in 1967. In 2024, there were 9.3 crore valid passports. Electoral identification dates back to the first general elections of 1951-52. The first major attempt to issue an Electoral Photo ID Card (EPIC) was initiated by the EC during 1993-96. In 2024, there were 97 crore voters with EPICs for many of them. The Permanent Account Number was introduced by the Central Board of Direct Taxes in 1972, initially as an option but made mandatory for taxpayers from 1976. The latest data says there are 78 crore PAN cards.

In the mid-2000s came the brilliant idea of a unique ID for every resident—Aadhaar—using biometric imprints. The Unique Identification Authority of India was set up in 2009 and the first Aadhaar card issued in 2010. After a checkered trajectory, the UIDAI has issued Aadhaar cards to about 135 crore residents.