EC to issue smart ID cards next year
The Election Commission (EC) will initially provide smart National Identity (NID) cards free of cost to citizens, EC officials have said.
"We will bear the initial cost for distributing smart NID cards from the project under which we will produce the cards," a deputy secretary of the EC secretariat told The Daily Star.
The commission hopes to start distribution of smart NID cards by the middle of next year, he added.
However, people will have to pay Tk 500 to Tk 4,000 in different categories to get renewed NID cards, if they are lost or destroyed, he said, adding that the commission has taken the initiative to formulate rules about the acquisition of the cards.
If a person loses the card, he or she will have to pay Tk 500 (general) and Tk 1,000 (urgent) for the first time to get the cards, according to the proposed National Identity Registration Rules, 2014.
People will have to pay Tk 1,000 (general) to Tk 2,000 (urgent) for a second time and Tk 2,000 to 4,000 for each time after that, according to the rules.
The smart NID cards will be distributed among all citizens, including those below 18, though only voters are given NID cards now.
Citizens can apply for NID cards to the Election Commission and different field level offices of the commission in prescribed forms or through the internet.
The EC last week sent the draft proposal to the law ministry for vetting. After scrutiny, the law minister on Sunday sent back the draft rules with some suggestions.
The commission will soon make the changes to the proposed rules and will send the draft to the ministry again. After getting a nod from the ministry, the EC will direct its NID wing to implement the rules.
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