1 Card for all utilities

Why in news?
  • Announcing, 2021 census exercise to be carried out digitally, Union Home Ministersuggested one card for all utilities in future.
More in news
  • Importance of Digital Census
(1) Digital census had the potential to bring all cards such as Aadhaar, passport, bank account, and driving licence on one platform.
(2) Difficultyof link and update birth and death registration with census data can be done away with.
(3) digital census has the potentialof preparing the base for the common utility card.
  • 2021 Census
(1) For the first time this decennial census exercise will move from paper to digital format.
(2) A sum of ₹12,000 crore would be spent on preparation of the National Population Register (NPR) and census.
(3) The census data could be used for future planning, development initiatives and welfare schemes.
(4) Its data helps in demarcating boundaries of municipal wards and the Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies.
  • NPR
(1) The NPR links biometric and demographic details of any ordinary resident, thus making it a comprehensive database of residents.
(2) Home Minister said NPR would be updated on a priority basis.
(3) It helps in tracking criminal activities, and better planning and execution of government schemes.
(4) The exercise was conducted earlier in two phases in 2010 and 2015.
(5) The next round of recording biometric and family tree details of Indian citizens will be conducted in September 2020.
  • The NPR exercise is different from the census and is not linked to the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
  • For the purpose of the NPR, an ordinary resident is defined as a person who has resided in a local area for the past six months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next six months or more.
  • On the basis of the 2011 Census, the Modi government had planned 22 welfare schemes related to electricity connection to every home, gas connection, construction of roads, houses for the poor, toilets, bank accounts, and opening of bank branch. For e.g.
  • Ujjwala model
    Source
    The Hindu
Posted by Jawwad Kazi on 24th Sep 2019
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