Aadhaar Going Global: Malaysia Keen To Adopt India’s ID System In Its National Identity Card

Inspired by India’s Aadhaar initiative, Malaysia plans to adopt the ID system in its national identity card for targeted delivery of welfare schemes and disbursing government subsidy to avoid duplicity and fraud, reports The Press Trust of India.

A delegation led by Malaysia’s Minister of Human Resources M Kula came to India last week and is reported to have met ministers and officials to explored the possibility of adopting the features of Aadhaar in Malaysia.

The delegation had met UIDAI [Unique Identification Authority of India] CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Malaysia in May offered to collaborate on matters where India had expertise.

Malaysia is also reported as exploring the possibility of linking bank accounts and for delivery of welfare schemes and subsidies.

“However there should not be much of a problem in Malaysia as identity cards with personal information have been there for decades.” Kula Segaran said while replying to a query on whether Malaysia could face the opposition of the people over privacy concerns.

The Malaysian Government initially plans to provide targeted subsidy to various groups based on their income and make it cash-less.

“Right now we send cheques, or we give cash. No need of that if you follow the Aadhaar system, and it comes directly into your account,” he said.