Home Minister P Chidambaram handed over to villagers of Prothrapur in Andaman and Nicobar Islands the first lot of resident identity cards having their details in microchips, an initiative aimed at boosting maritime security.
The first card was given to a woman named Bhoolaxmi on Saturday. These smart cards are part of the Centre's ambitious National Population Register, NPR scheme. Under the scheme, residents of coastal areas in nine maritime states and Union Territories who have attained the age of 18 years will be issued a smart card.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Chidambaram said about 2.56 lakh cards, each with a 64 KB microprocessor chip, will be distributed in Andaman.
Besides Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the scheme will cover Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Daman and Diu.
