The Government has sanctioned capital, an estimated cost of Rs. 3023.01 crore, for the allocation of unique identity numbers to 10 crore of the India’s 100 million population.

From this estimated amount, Rs. 477.11 crore will be kept for recurring establishment expenditure while the remaining Rs. 2,545.90 crore will be reserved for non-recurring project related expenditure.

The government will issue the first set of 10 crore UID numbers sometime between August 2010 and March 2011, after which 600 million more UID numbers will be issued by the next three years.

The target of the project is to provide unique identity numbers to all residents of India. This will be done by collecting the demographic and biometric attributes of all Indian citizens via different agencies of the Central and the State Governments who interact with the residents within their normal course.

The aim of the UID project is chiefly to make sure inclusive growth in the country by providing a form of identity to all those citizens who do not have an identity. It will provide UID numbers mainly to the marginalized sections of society thereby strengthening equity, and delivering better services and effective governance.