Kashmir: Deepening concerns over the safety of personal data, the Jammu and Kashmir Administration's proposal to introduce a unique ID for every family in the Union Territory met with fierce objections from opposition parties.
J&K's lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha on November 27 made the announcement of legislation to store the personal data of every family in the valley in a digital format.
Prerna Suri, commissioner secretary of J&K's IT department, the nodal agency for preparing the database, told PTI news agency that the procedure for data collection would be "at par with Haryana's 'Parivaar Pehchaan Patra'.
She said the database would remove the hassles for beneficiaries who have to submit documents every time they wish to avail of various government schemes and subsidies.
The administration is reported to be looking at preparing a unique ID for every family, after obtaining their consent to store their personal details in a digital format.
The Wire quoted former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti calling the move a tactic to put Kashmiris under surveillance, besides terming the proposal a waste of resources.
The new move will not only widen the gap between the Central government and the Kashmiri people, who have been viewed under deep suspicion after the events of 2019 but tighten the iron grip on their lives, she said.
The opposition also cited the breach of data servers of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and the University of Kashmir to double down their objection to the Unique ID.