The Election Commission (EC) has decided to initiate work on introducing digital National Identity Cards (NIC) from August. The NIC could also be used as Voters' Identity Cards. A pilot project is likely to be started at some pocket areas like Savar or Joydebpur in this regard in 10 to 12 days.Under this system, EC officials will not visit voters' houses for collecting information. Rather voters have to go to the camps selected by EC for providing their (voters) particulars.
This was disclosed yesterday by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr ATM Shamsul Huda to newsmen at the EC headquarters in the city. Earlier, the CEC and two other Election Commissioners Brigadier General (Retd) Shakhawat Hossain and Muhammad Sahul Hossain had a meeting with Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed at the latter's office.
Explaining the system, the CEC said under this arrangement the EC would set up about 12,000 camps to be selected from existing 60 to 69 thousand polling centres in the country. At least four persons are to be deployed at every camp with digital camera and other necessary equipment for collecting voters' data, photographs and other information.
"Under this system, voters have to go to the camps once for all and after completing all required formalities, they would get their NICs within a span of 20 to 25 minutes from EC's field level officials," Dr Huda mentioned.
"The army would assist EC officials in conducting this task. They would be deployed at the upazila level. We are not giving any sub-contract of the project to any firm," the CEC mentioned.
He said the camps would be set up at different schools, colleges and community centres across the country.
Mentioning the timetable for providing information by the voters, the CEC said, in the cities it would be from 12 noon to 10pm, while in the villages it would be in the afternoon or in the evening.
Stressing the need for bringing the mass people under this process, the CEC sought cooperation from media and NGO personnel in encouraging the voters to enrol their names with the camps.
"The NIC would be a vital document for anyone to make his/her passport, open bank account, get VGF (vulnerable group feeding) card and getting all sorts of government assistance," he said while mentioning its importance.
The CEC said neighbouring countries like Pakistan, India and Bhutan have successfully followed this system for preparing their NICs.
Terming the task 'Spanish Bull Fight', he said he and his colleagues are sincerely working hard for implementing the project.
"If we could record success in the project then it would be a milestone for us," the CEC said and called upon all (voters) to cooperate with the EC officials for preparing the NIC.
He said that the Chief Adviser assured all kinds of assistance from his government to the EC for implementing the project.
"The existing voter registration form is to be amended for implementation of the project and preparation of flawless NICs," Dr Huda said adding it would take some time for printing of nearly 10 crore people's forms.
Photograph, voters' information, fingerprint and signature would be integrated in full digital method, the CEC told reporters yesterday.
CEC Huda said they increased the number of units who would work at the field level, from earlier calculated 8,000 to 12,000, as they want to complete the task of NID along with voter list with photograph as soon as possible.
"No, we are not going door to door (for doing the task). We are doing it establishing camps at the 69,000 polling stations that are fixed for local-body elections," he replied to a query.
Asked if the field-level task would be done simultaneously across the country, the CEC replied in the negative, saying that they don't have 69,000 units. "So we have to concentrate on pocket to pocket."
He said the EC might complete the task of Dhaka, Rajshahi and Khulna City Corporations first.
About what the EC discussed with the CA, Huda said they discussed the matters of digital method and procurement. "Procurement is a most complicated matter… The first installment of the procurement may be in hand in the last week of July… It will take September to get all."
The 12,000 units that will work in the field would include four types of manpower, he said. Of the four, one would be the enumerator and one would do the task of taking photograph and data entry. The two others would be engaged in the task of scanning and taking bio-matrix.
"Primarily it has been calculated that each group will stay at a camp for seven or eight days… But we didn't calculate yet how much time it would take to cover the whole of the country… It will not be right to say before having the filed-level experience," CEC Huda said, adding that more than one unit could work at a camp simultaneously.
