India
Various schemes had been proposed but were never implemented. The closest India has come to this is the Permanent account number (PAN), issued by the Income Tax Office, for purposes of tracking income and income taxes. It has now gained use as a means of identification for activities like getting a phone connection. The MNIC project appears to be a strong contender for nation-wide implementation with pilots underway in 13 states, with specific focus on covering the border regions.
The Indian Government has established an Authority called the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to issue a Unique Identification Number to all citizens and residents of India. This Authority is headed by Nandan Nilekani, former CEO of Infosys. This Authority will issue the first unique number within 12 to 18 months of its creation.
The UIDAI project has been renamed as "Aadhaar". The AADHAR project will give each Indian citizen a unique 12 digit identification number, along with recording his biometrics such as his iris scan and his fingerprints on a chip in the card so given. The first Aadhaar number was launched in Maharashtra in the village of Tembli, on 29 September 2010.
Read more about this topic: National Identification Number
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—Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)
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—Indira Gandhi (1917–1984)