Every family in J&K to get unique ID; BJP welcomes move, other parties raise concerns

The proposed move to allot 'Family ID' has been welcomed by the BJP but panned by other parties which raised concerns over personal data safety

Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha addresses during the inauguration of the Digital Skill Development Programme

The Jammu and Kashmir administration’s decision to create a database of all families living in the Union Territory (UT) and allot them a unique alpha-numeric code has been criticized by the opposition, in terms of data privacy.

At the recent national conference on e-governance in Jammu, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar released the ‘Digital J&K Vision’ document, unveiling the government plan to create an authentic, verified and reliable database of all families of the UT.

The database - JK Family ID - will be used to determine eligibility of beneficiaries of various social welfare schemes.

According to the document, once the data in the database is authenticated and verified, a beneficiary will not be required to submit any more documents to avail a service. To prevent risks and protect sensitive and critical data, the government plans to work on an information security policy and also envisages formulation of appropriate cyber security framework.

While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party hailed the move, Kashmir based parties and the Congress have raised privacy concerns over the database.

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Former chief minister and the PDP chief while questioning the move tweeted: “Creating ‘a unique family ID’ for J&K residents is emblematic of the widening trust deficit esp post 2019. Kashmiris are viewed with deep suspicion & this is another surveillance tactic to tighten the iron grip on their lives.”

National Conference leader Rattan Lal Gupta asked what was the need of a separate database when the administration already has access to Aadhaar details.

Congress spokesperson Ravinder Sharma questioned why the government wishes to “peek into everything?”

“They already have enough data through Aadhaar and are providing benefits through direct bank transfer DBT mode,” he asked.

However, the BJP while welcoming the move said citizens who have to stand in queues to get various benefits and certificates will benefit once a verified database is prepared.

The government’s vision document itself acknowledges that in the absence of coherent policies relating to data security and privacy, the progress of digital transformation is bound to be slow and fraught with several risks.