10. National Population Register (NPR) vs Aadhaar

The National Population Register (NPR) was a project that aimed to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country. The database was to contain demographic as well as biometric particulars. It was being prepared at the local (Village/sub- Town), sub-District, District, State and National level.

It was launched during 2009-2010. The idea was to freeze the population register after giving people three chances to enroll. Anyone who came to get enrolled later would have to explain the delay. It was hoped that this would make it difficult for fresh immigrants to get into the register.

There was a simultaneous launch of AADHAAR Project in 2009 under which UIDAI was established by the government with a mandate to issue a unique 12-digit number to all residents of India and maintain the UID number database. The programme is aimed at ensuring inclusive growth by providing a form of identity to those who do not have any. The idea is to harness technological solutions and cooperative participation with the private sector to lead to a larger social good of providing sharper and focused assistance to those yet to get on the bandwagon of growth.