Large numbers of Indians do not have acknowledged identity provided by the State and they are the ones who are poor and deprived, he said. “There exists identity divide. Urban citizens cannot feel the divide,” said the UIAI chairperson, adding this cuts the poor off from accessing public and private services.
He said Indians are becoming more and more mobile. Of 1.18 billion population, 120 million are mobile and if dependent family members are taken into consideration, the number of such people would touch 480 million. Lack of acknowledged identity compounds their problem and they are harassed by the system and end up being non-person in the society, Mr. Nilekani said. “Giving them the identity is a challenge.” The UIAI chairperson hoped that the programme would help tackle the problem of both inclusion and exclusion existing in the society.