Will Census-2027 provide Unique Citizenship ID to Indians?

            Indian Citizens are served with more than a dozen Identification Documents (IDs), as was evident during a  hearing in the Supreme Court of India on a petition against SIR in Bihar recently.  Yet neither the ECI, nor the GOI could  pinpoint  which one is the Single identification Tag as the ultimate proof of Citizenship, that could prove his/her  eligibility to Vote or establish  that  One belongs to India, without doubt or challenge.

It is a National Shame that in 78 years of Independence, no  government thought of issuing a  Unique or Absolute ID  to its  Voters or  Citizens, who  own this country and have an absolute  Right to Ownership, of an  entity called  INDIA  or BHARAT.  The Apex Court had to  insist that Election Commission  also  “accept Aadhaar Card” as an ID and allow voters to cast their Vote. As if  11 other IDs were not  sufficient enough to prove  One of being an eligible Indian Citizen or  legal  Resident  (in his Constituency).

Instead,  all govts (Central or State) have been identifying  only  the eligible  publics,  qualified to benefit from the various schemes, concessions or  Freebies  doled out  before the elections (or after the elections).  The govts emphatically  tailor out their schemes to  benefit various Groups and issue IDs to segregate the number of beneficiaries to be covered or  shunned away.  Indians have a plethora of IDs from Aadhaar to Voter ID, to Ration Card, to Birth Cerificate, to Passport, to NHA Card to MNREGA Card and more !                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              But None of these Cards  provide Absolute Citizenship to those carrying these Plastic Tokens or wands ! 

In fact, Citizenship is much more than these  doles and  freebies. It should   be a Proudful Possession or identification that One Belongs to India i.e., One Owns a Part of India. As resolved in the Preamble to the  Indian Constitution:  We, the People of India,……

As the Union Cabinet.  under Prime Minister Narinder Modi has announced  Census 2027, for enumeration of Indian Citizens  with effect from March 01, 2027  and has opted to do it digitally, it is time for Government of India to  issue proper Citizenship Cards (IDs)  and individual  Unique No.  to each Citizen of India, and enable it with  necessary digital data  with his/her  Birthdate, place,  health, as also the  financial status,  to help find his eligibility to various govt. schemes,  benfits and  much more.  As UIDAI  (Aaadhaar Card issuing Authority) has  already  enrolled over 143 crores  Indians in its  portal (Sept. 2025)  it  could also be enabled and authorised  to  store additional data  of Citizens.

The Citizenship  Cards be issued be  segregated  and Categorized  in age Groups 0-5 Years for Toddlers, 5-18 Years for Minors  and  beyond 18 Years  for Adults with  Voting Rights and Banking fecilities, and much more adult previleges.  As the Cabinet has  approved an outlay of  Rs. 11,718 Crores for conducting  Census 2027 and  self-enumerating the  data digitallty, this  amount could be revised  upwards  to meet  the upgraded  data and made  a  prestigious  Citizenship Card. 

Citizenship ID  is  different from the Passport, issued for travel abroad only,  but the Citizenship Card  will be an  ID every  countrymen  must carry with pride and be identified at any  occasion.  It could be  used at any  place or occasion, including while Voting at the Elections!

Yes, Elections are conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to  help Citizens to elect a Government, to govern over  them; yet the ECI has a Mandate or Duty to  allow only genuine Voters (misnomer to CITIZENS) to elect  their masters (to govern) or representatives  in  a Legislature/Governing body.

Indians, as we know and  the Supreme Court observed  during the  debate on SIR in  Bihar  recently, about a dozen IDs were  approved   by the ECI  for eligibility to vote, but  several Opposition leaders wanted  Aadhaar Card also to be added to the list.  Nothing wrong, but  it  has been pointed out that  crores of  infiltrators  from neighbouring Bangladesh, Rohingyas and  elsewhere,  had managed to gety Fake Aadhaar cards  issued in most border states  and spread out across the country, ECI  appeared reluctant to accept  these  cards as  Citizenship IDs  and elegible voters.  The ECI  has a mandate to  sanctify the Voting Lists across the country  to ensure only genuine Indian citizens use the franchise. SIR (Special Intensive Revision)  is the periodic  process for vetting  the voter lists and removing  unauthorised, illegal, dead or  migrated voters out, so that only genuine  citizens are able to elect their representatives.   

The plethora of  IDs  issued by the govts. at  the Centre and the States  are issued by  the various departments to provide incentives  in miniscule  groups.  Such benefits like  Reservations provided to the Weaker and Downdrodden sections of citizens  by the Constition of India, had a  pious or virtuous target to  provide the benefits of  development and  prosparity resulting from Freedom of India from the British (deemed exploiters).  But then the  game of  grabbing benefits started and  the numbers of  Claimants to be Weakers and Downtrodden  multiplied  under various Castes, sub-Castes, (SC/ST), workers, labours,  farmers,  migrants,  tribals, regional, landless etc. etc. We now find about 75 to 80% of Indian population seek reservations under various  schemes instead of 50% maximum mandated  while  the Contitution of India was promulgated on January 26,  1950, the first Republic Day of India.

All Indian citizens should  get their  Citizenship Card at the earliest and display it  proudly, as  their Tricolour : Tiranga  Jhanda  !                                                                  –Editor