The Jammu and Kashmir administration will create a database of all families living in the Union Territory and allot them a unique alpha-numeric code, PTI reported on Sunday, citing officials.
The database – JK Family ID – will be used to determine eligibility of beneficiaries of various social welfare schemes.
Prerna Puri, the commissioner secretary of the Information Technology Department of Jammu and Kashmir said “Once the data in the JK Family ID database is authenticated and verified, a beneficiary will not be required to submit any more document to avail a service,”
The move is part of the “Digital J&K Vision Document” unveiled by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at an e-governance conference held in Katra city of Reasi district last month, according to the news agency.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has hailed the move, while Kashmiri parties and the Congress have raised privacy concerns over the database.
According to the vision document released last month, the data in the JK Family ID database would be used to determine “eligibility through automatic selection of beneficiaries for receiving social benefits”.
The compilation and management of the database will follow the applicable laws and regulations of data protection in India. The Jammu and Kashmir administration also plans to formulate an information security policy and a cyber security framework for the Union Territory, the document added.
However, Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti tweeted that the decision is “emblematic of the widening trust deficit” between Kashmiris and the authorities.