'One-ID' to replace various identity cards including NID

To this end, the Information and Communication Technology Division has taken up the project 'Digital Service Transformation for Access and Resilience'. Implemented by Bangladesh Computer Council, the project is expected to run from 2026 to 2031. It has been sent to the Planning Commission for approval.

Currently, birth registration is done after birth and the national identity card is issued at the age of 18. Under the new system, there will be no age limit. There is a plan to issue a single identity card right after birth. In the future, various card services, including national identity card, family card and farmer card, are planned to be brought under it.

The initial project proposal mentions preparing identity cards for about 18 crore citizens. Cards will be produced and printed for 20 crore people. The estimated cost for producing, printing, distributing and delivering each card is about Tk 369.

The total cost of the project has been estimated at Tk 9,193 crore. Of this, government financing is Tk 7,663 crore and the World Bank loan is Tk 1,530 crore. The cost of card production, printing, biometric data collection and distribution has been estimated at Tk 7,380 crore.

Officials say that once the single identity card is introduced, citizens will not have to provide the same information repeatedly for various government services. If interoperability can be established among the data repositories of national identity card, birth registration, passport, driving licence and taxpayer identification number, the service delivery process may become easier and more effective.