PM, Sonia praise Nilekani for UID project

TEMBHLI: Unique Identification Authority of India chief Nandan Nilekani today came in for praise from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for his work on the "historic" project, which will document the profile of every individual in the country.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today launched the ambitious Unique ID project christened 'Aadhaar', in Nandurbar, a tribal district in North Maharashtra.

Singh said Nilekani took over as chief of the ambitious project in July 2009 and has rolled out the first set of UID numbers in a short span of time available to him.

Gandhi said Nilekani and his team deserved appreciation for work on the "historic" project.

Nilekani began his speech with greeting the crowd in Marathi and said, "It is due to the cooperation extended by Singh and Sonia Gandhi that the project has gone ahead and I am thankful to them."