Union Budget 2011: Govt to generate 10 lakh 'Aadhaar' numbers everyday

NEW DELHI: As part of its effort to improve service delivery, government today said that it will give 10 lakh ' Aadhaar' numbers everyday to citizens across the country under its flagship programme.

The Union Budget for 2011-12 which was presented in the Parliament today by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee laid special emphasis on improving governance through Unique Identification (UID), now known as Aadhaar.

Mukherjee said that the UID Mission has taken off and Aadhaar numbers are being generated in large numbers. So far 20 lakh Aadhaar numbers have been given and from 1st October 2011, ten lakh numbers will be generated per day.

The stage is now set for realising the potential of Aadhaar for improving service delivery, accountability and transparency in governance of various schemes, the FM said.

Aadhaar is a 16-digit account number to be given to all citizens in the country for recognition of their identity.

Mukherjee also proposed to raise by over 50 per cent budgetary allocation for the project. Government has allocated Rs 1,470 crore for next fiscal for Aadhaar project as compared to Rs 960.66 crore given to it under plan head in 2010-11.