IDENTY CARD

An identity document (also called a piece of identification or ID) is any document which may be used to verify aspects of a person's identity If issued in the form of a small, mostly standard-sized card, it is usually called an identity card (IC). In some countries the possession of a government-produced identity card is compulsory while in others it may be voluntary. In countries which do not have formal identity documents, informal ones may in some circumstances be required.In the absence of a formal identity document, some countries accept driving licences as the most effective method of proof of identity. Most countries accept passports as a form of identification.Hi-tech multi-purpose national identity cards, carrying 16 personal details and a unique identification number, were launched in Delhi on Saturday 26 May 2007.

The first set of the microchip-based cards were distributed to residents of Pooth Khurd area in North Delhi by Registrar General of India D.K. Sikri. The North Delhi area is one of the 20 localities selected for the pilot project on the multi-purpose national identity cards.The identity cards, issued to citizens above 18 years of age, are secured electronic devices to be used for providing a credible individual identification system for improving the citizen-Government interface. The new card seeks to provide an individualised identification system. Inside it is a microprocessor chip, a finger biometric and a digital signature. On it are details of the holder's date and place of birth and a unique 16-digit National Identification Number. The Government decided in November 2003 to implement the pilot project in selected areas of 12 States and one union territory. The card's makers say it cannot be tampered with or duplicated, but they admit making ID cards for a billion-plus population will be a huge task. The chip not being “ produced in India, it has to be outsourced and there’s tremendous challenge to the industry,” said Deputy Director General MNIC, S K Chakrabarti. The pilot project is currently under way in selected sub-districts of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry. The card has a SCOSTA micro-processor chip with a memory of 16 KB which is secured against tampering

Information present on the document — or in a supporting database — might include the bearer's full name, a portrait photo, age, birth date, address, an identification number, profession or rank, religion, ethnic or racial classification, restrictions, and citizenship status. New technologies could allow identity cards to contain biometric information, such as photographs, face, hand or iris measurements, or fingerprints.

The universal adoption of identity cards is supported by law enforcement officials who claim that it will make surveillance and identification of criminals easier. However, concern is also expressed about the extensive cost and potential abuse of hi-tech smartcards.