Digital identification to be assigned to all newborns in Nepal

Hey, did you hear? The government's got this new plan where they're gonna hook everyone up with a digital ID right from the get-go! Like, as soon as you're born, bam! You get a national ID number. They're starting to dish out these digital numbers through the Department of National ID and Civil Registration. They're thinking these national identity cards might eventually replace citizenship certificates, which is kinda cool.

So, what's this national ID all about? Well, it's like a fancy federal ID card, cooked up by the Department of National ID and Civil Registration, and each person gets their own unique number. If you're a citizen of Nepal, you can snag one of these cards by giving up your biometric and personal info. It's got all the deets - your photo, personal info, and even your fingerprints!

And get this, they're saying these biometric smart cards are gonna have all sorts of uses. Like, officials can scan 'em with secure terminals and boom, they know who you are.

The government's got big plans, too. They wanna make sure every Nepali has their own national ID number right from the start. So, they're gonna tag you with a unique number when you're born, starting from the ward level. According to the bigwigs at the department, they've been quietly dishing out these national ID numbers to about 2,000 people a day during birth registration for the past couple of months.

They're gonna officially kick off this whole shebang in a few weeks. And you know what? Starting from early childhood means it's gonna be way easier to get all your government docs, including that slick national ID.

But wait, there's more! They're speeding up the distribution of these national ID cards too. They started issuing them back in 2018, and now they've enrolled over 14.1 million people in the database. That's like, 90% of the eligible population! And they're not stopping there. They've already printed three million cards and handed out 1.8 million to the District Administration Offices for distribution.

They're even getting creative with the distribution, hitting up ward offices of local governments to hand out these cards. Starting March 3rd, they're doling out cards at the ward level in Kanchanpur district, with plans to spread the love to other districts soon.

But hey, despite all this hustle, there's still a snag. People aren't really using these national ID cards for government services yet. You still need that old citizenship certificate for stuff like getting a driver's license or taking exams. But, the government's got its eye on the prize. They're thinking of making these national IDs mandatory in certain districts real soon.

So, there you have it! The government's rolling out digital IDs like it's nobody's business, and who knows, maybe soon we'll all be flashing our national IDs left and right! You can check out more on this over at The Kathmandu Post.