Expedite Distribution Of National ID Cards

Nepal has adopted the system of national identity cards (NIDs) as a replacement for citizenship certificates. The citizenship certificates are manual documents with photos, whereas the NIDs are digital documents with biometrics, digital photos and digital personal details. NIDs are based on biometric and demographic data of citizens and have unique numbers for each citizen. After the full implementation of the NID system in the country, the NIDs will be used as an integrated document that serves as a citizenship certificate, a voter card, a social security card and so on. Driving licences, vehicle ownership books, banking services and tax payment systems will also be integrated into the NIDs. 

Further, public service facilities will be made available to the citizens on the basis of the NIDs. However, the NIDs will not serve as passports and driving licences. 

The personal details of all Nepali citizens will be stored in the National Data Repertory. The Department of National ID and Civil Registration (DoNIDCR) is responsible for the management of NIDs. The DoNIDCR was created five years ago by merging the National ID Management Centre and the Department of Civil Registration. The DoNIDCR is also entrusted with registering personal events of the citizens. In Nepal, personal events include birth, death, marriage, divorce and migration. 

Commitment  

As per the commitment made to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Nepal will have to record births of all Nepalis and increase the registration of other personal events by 2024 AD. The DoNIDCR is working to meet these targets. The DoNIDCR is also assigned the task of managing and distributing social security allowances to the eligible citizens. Social security allowances are distributed to seven target groups: senior citizens, Dalits, the disabled, tribes on the verge of extinction, widows, single women and children of Dalit and backward families. Besides, nutrition allowances are also provided for specific target groups so as to mitigate their poverty to some extent. 

During the fiscal year 2075/76 B.S., the DoNIDCR initiated the distribution of NIDs as a pilot project by distributing NIDs among the residents of Panchthar district and government employees working at Singh Durbar. The DoNIDCR has planned to distribute NIDs in three stages. The importance of NIDs is growing all over the world. Many countries have a system of digital IDs. Digital IDs have features that can be linked to public services and are used for various purposes in an integrated manner. The use of such digital IDs would contribute to national inclusivity – connecting citizens to various public services and national activities such as elections.  

The government announced through its budget statement and policy and programmes of the fiscal year 2066/67 B.S. that the NID system would be introduced in the country. According to the government’s policy and programmes of the fiscal year 2076/77, the distribution of NIDs will be completed in four years. The National Identity Card Act, 2076 and the National Identity Card Rules, 2077 are in force to manage the NIDs. In 2018 AD, the government inked a contract with IDEMIA for the processing and distribution of NIDs. IDEMIA is a France-based multilateral company, which deals, inter alia, in biometric identification products and software such as facial, fingerprint, finger vein and iris recognition systems.  

The distribution of NIDs is, however, proceeding at a snail’s pace. That one cannot obtain one’s NID even within a year through a normal process is a matter of shame. The same is the case with the issuance of smart driving licences. Those who have passed the driving test and who have got their licences renewed are compelled to drive their vehicles on revenue payment receipts. The receipts mention the names of licence-holders, licence numbers, expiry dates, categories of vehicles and the like. 

As per the DoNIDCR, applications from over 11.4 million people have been obtained but very few NIDs have been distributed so far. Even if the DoNIDCR has failed to expedite the process of distribution, the Department of Passports made the NIDs mandatory to obtain e-passports on 01.08.2078. The NIDs have also been made mandatory to sit for medical entrance exams. The NIDs are not required in other sectors, where citizenship certificates are required.

Inordinate delay 

As such, the people are suffering for no fault of theirs. Those who need passports to go abroad for jobs or other purposes are hart hit. They have to obtain NIDs at any cost. Viewed thus, the government’s inefficiency has clearly come out into the open. Still, there is no one who can challenge the government. Rather, the DoNIDCR says that NIDs are a must for preventing duplication of voter registration and identity theft and for maintaining proper records of the migration of voters. Yes, there is no doubt about what the DoNIDCR says but there has been an inordinate delay in the issuance and distribution of the NIDs.

It goes without saying that the NID system has been launched with good intentions. But the issuance and distribution of the NIDs are shambolic. Moreover, cybersecurity experts have expressed concerns that the safety of the sensitive personal data of Nepalis is at stake and that such details may be misused to the detriment of the country. Anyway, the government should take concrete measures to distribute the NIDs to the eligible citizens within the shortest possible time. At a time when the people are frustrated at the delay in obtaining driving licences, the snail-paced distribution of the NIDs has further heightened their frustration. This shows that the government is indifferent to such sensitive public services as driving licences and NIDs. It is high time the government changed its working style and increased its efficiency. 

(Maharjan has been regularly writing on contemporary issues for this daily since 2000.)