A multi billion rupee tender to upgrade the National Identity Card to an electronic card has been halted.
The Cabinet last week cancelled the awarding of this controversial tender following charges that the tender had not only been awarded to a favoured party but also fell short of requirements which would prevent doctoring of the card.
Last week media revealed the inconsistencies and contradictions behind the government’s NIC programme. Following the media reports which highlighted the fact that the original specifications for the card’s security requirements had been watered down to suit the interests of a favored bidder, it emerged this week that the tender for the implementation of the NIC project had been cancelled.
Media also highlighted the huge expenditure scheduled for the programme — several billion rupees — at a time when, in a post war era, there are surely more urgent priorities than a new NIC card.