Indian Hospitals to Issue Aadhaar Cards Along with Birth Certificates

The Indian government is getting ready to start issuing Aadhaar cards for newborns, reports the Deccan Chronicle.

Aadhaar is India’s national biometric ID program. Over a billion citizens have been registered for Aadhaar, and the ID system is being used in a growing number of administrative services, not only from the government directly but also in areas like banking and, soon, rail travel.

Having gone to great lengths to register so much of the population, India’s government is now turning to the next generation, with plans to start issuing Aadhaar cards along with birth certificates, starting with 25 government hospitals at the end of this month. As the Deccan Chronicle reports, the ID system will have near-immediate benefits, allowing government health officials to more effectively track immunization, school enrollment, and other records.

According to a government official, a pilot project underway at the Petlaburj Government Maternity Hospital is already “delivering good results,” so it’s fair to expect the Aadhaar issuance program to expand beyond the 25 hospitals implementing it later this month.

Source: Deccan Chronicle

–

August 12, 2016 – by Alex Perala