A host of enumerators will be out on the streets of Mumbai as the first phase of data collection for Census 2011 starts in Maharashtra today.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials will cover households in the first phase and institutions like jails, hostels, hospitals, orphanages and old age homes in the second starting February next year. A Unique Identity Card (UID) will be issued to everyone, including foreigners, living in the city for more than six months.
The second phase will include a Census survey of all prisoners, Indian and foreign. So, if Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive in the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai, survives till February 2011, he becomes eligible for the UID. May 3 is judgment day for Kasab.
"But the card does not confirm citizenship of India,” BMC commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya said. “The card is important for residents, who have proof of Indian citizenship, for future policies. In the future, the UID may replace the ration card,” he added.
However, getting the UID is not easy. Details of individuals like name, date of birth, sex, present address, permanent address, and names of father, mother and spouse will be collected for the creation of the National Population Register (NPR).
“All people residing legally or illegally will be covered in the Census and will get the UID card after thorough verification. The card will mention whether the individual is an Indian or a foreigner. It’s the same for jail inmates, but further action will depend on the legal proceedings,” said a BMC official.
“All inmates will be covered in the second phase, but the information will be verified by the Census director and then added in the NPR for issuing UIDs. The director, Census operations, has developed a software which will prevent the duplication of cards since biometric information will be available on the cards,” said Manisha Mhaiskar, additional municipal commissioner. The first phase of data collection will go on till June 15 and the second will also take around 45 days.
