(By Preethi J & Nikhil Pahwa) Six years after the Indian Citizenship Act was amended to issue a national identity card to every citizen in the country, the government has constitued a Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to launch and run the scheme. In 2006, Section 14A was added to the Citizenship Act of 1955 to issue a national identity card to every citizen of the country. Yesterday, the Cabinet approved the creation of the post of Chairperson of the UIDAI, and the Prime Minister approved the appointment of Nandan Nilekani of Infosys as Chairperson, in the rank of Cabinet Minister. Nilekani will step down from the board of Infosys in July, and assume charge of the UIDAI, he told CNBC-TV18. Pilots have been attempted, but no large scale implementation has taken place. The project was initiated to keep out illegal immigrants - West Bengal, which is home to many Bangladeshis, is one of nine states along with four Union Territories selected for the first stage of roll outs. Rs. 1 billion will be spent on the project, which is expected to be completed by early next year, Business Standard reports. Need For A Single ID? The National ID will be similar to a Social Security Number in the US; at present, multiple IDs are in use in India - ration card, drivers license, passport, voters ID card, PAN card for taxpayers. There have been several instances of both fake ID cards being used by terrorists and criminals, that have been…
