Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)– The World Bank (WB) will provide approximately US$ 195 million soft loan aiming to establish a secure, accurate and reliable national ID system in Bangladesh.
The WB is supporting the government in issuing 90 million updated, secure national identity cards with robust security features within the next five years through the National Identification System for Enhanced Access to Services (IDEA) project.
The government has initiated establishment of a comprehensive National Identification System based on existing Voter ID database.
The Bangladesh Election Commission is working to improve the National ID (NID) system regulatory framework and to develop a comprehensive NID System operations manual.
The Bangladesh Election Commission and the WB have agreed on the start-up arrangements and the conceptual design for multiple pilots to test procedures and systems necessary for the replacement of ID cards, a World Bank project update said.
The National ID Wing (NIDW) of the Bangladesh Election Commission is implementing the project.
It has signed Memoranda of Understanding with Bangladesh Bank and National Bureau of Revenue with to use the database for verification services. The NIDW now have the required staffing for timely implementation of the project.
“The World Bank will provide approximately US$ 195 million concessional IDA credit for the IDEA project which aims to establish a secure, accurate and reliable national ID system that serves as the basis for more efficient and transparent service delivery,” it noted.
BBN/SSR/AD-02April12-12:40 pm (BST)
