EC now giving ID cards for free
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
The Election Commission (EC) is giving the national identity (NID) cards to the people for free now following their enrollment in the voter list, but a smart card will later cost Tk 500, reports UNB.
From now on, a person has to be present physically at the place where s/he wants to be a voter.
"For now there is no need to pay for getting the NID card that we are providing after voter enrolment. But if anyone wants a smart card (machine readable) later on, then they would have to pay," Election Commissioner M Sohul Hussain told reporters Tuesday afternoon at his office.
According to a recent media report, the Home Ministry has decided that a citizen will have to pay Tk 30 for a permanent paper-laminated card and Tk 40 for a copy of that card, Tk 250 for a plastic card and Tk 500 for a smart card. The charge for correction of information on a card has been fixed at Tk 20.
The ministry, meanwhile, has finalised a draft ordinance for mandatory use of the cards with a provision that authorizes the government to relax the stringent conditions for the use of the national ID card.
Asked what to be done during updating the voter list every year if the poor citizens refuse to pay even Tk 30 to get the NID card, Sohul said: "That's an important issue, which is not decided yet."
There is also thinking about the feasibility of changing NID card after a certain period, since a person's face changes over a period of five to ten years, he said. According to the draft ordinance on mandatory use of the NID card, one will have to show the card for getting a new passport and a driving licence or for their renewal, Taxpayer Identification Number, Business Identification Number, trade licence, admit cards of public examinations, applying for jobs, opening bank accounts and getting loan from banks and micro-credit institutions.
From now on, a person has to be present physically at the place where s/he wants to be a voter.
"For now there is no need to pay for getting the NID card that we are providing after voter enrolment. But if anyone wants a smart card (machine readable) later on, then they would have to pay," Election Commissioner M Sohul Hussain told reporters Tuesday afternoon at his office.
According to a recent media report, the Home Ministry has decided that a citizen will have to pay Tk 30 for a permanent paper-laminated card and Tk 40 for a copy of that card, Tk 250 for a plastic card and Tk 500 for a smart card. The charge for correction of information on a card has been fixed at Tk 20.
The ministry, meanwhile, has finalised a draft ordinance for mandatory use of the cards with a provision that authorizes the government to relax the stringent conditions for the use of the national ID card.
Asked what to be done during updating the voter list every year if the poor citizens refuse to pay even Tk 30 to get the NID card, Sohul said: "That's an important issue, which is not decided yet."
There is also thinking about the feasibility of changing NID card after a certain period, since a person's face changes over a period of five to ten years, he said. According to the draft ordinance on mandatory use of the NID card, one will have to show the card for getting a new passport and a driving licence or for their renewal, Taxpayer Identification Number, Business Identification Number, trade licence, admit cards of public examinations, applying for jobs, opening bank accounts and getting loan from banks and micro-credit institutions.