The Central Government has decided to lift the ban on prepaid mobile phones in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, indicated a home ministry official on Thursday.

Government had imposed the ban due to security reasons on November 1, 2009 in the terrorist hit state. It was revealed that terrorists used pre-paid mobile phones to coordinate the terror attacks.

The ban will be revoked with immediate effect. An official indicated that telecom operators will have to carry out stringent identity checks before issuing prepaid SIM cards.

The centre has devised a foolproof plan to ensure proper verification of the cell phone subscribers in the state.

The chief minister of the state, Omar Abdullah has many times appealed for lifting the ban on pre paid connections. The state has over 3.8 million cell phone users.