Noman Mosharef :
The Election Commission (EC) is going to give National Identity Card (NID) to under 18 years old people.
The EC, at recent meeting held at the NID wing, discussed the issue with NID wing’s Director General A K M Humayun Kabir in the chair.
Official sources said that the meeting decided to collect information about those who have born before 1st January 2006. The NID wing is waiting for EC’s nod. After getting the approval, the NID wing will start its work in full scale.
It is known that after gathering the information of the under 18 people the registration activities will start. Then after reaching at 18 years old, automatically they will be enlisted and registered in voter list.
NID DG Humayun Kabir said that the primary discussion over the matter has already been held. If the EC endorses the project, we are ready to start our works.
“We have decided about the project to facilitate the citizens’ life,” he said.
According to law, the EC has jurisdiction not only to provide 18 plus age’s people but also less than 18 years old people, said the EC officials.
Source said, EC has emphasized online registration process for NID as the part of modernization of NID-related services. As a result, the pressure on the officials will reduce. On the other hand, when the citizens will apply by own self there is less chance for misinformation.
So, the EC wants that the citizens apply online for NID registration. The commission only wants to complete the registration process with photographs, Irish images and fingerprints.
In 2020 voter list update time, about 96 lakh people’s information was collected (Those who born 2001-2004). EC officials said 191,857 people were added to the voter list in 2021 update time.
According to the EC, the number of the total voters is 111,720,669, of which 56,598,005 (50.66%) are male, 55,122,223 (49.33%) female and 441 transgender ones – in the country. Initially NID cards related services such as lost of NID cards and correction were free. From 1st September 2015, the EC started to charge for NID cards related services.
