Source: Hueiyen News Service
Shillong, August 27 2009:
Meghalaya is likely to be the first state in the North East, considered a critical region due to illegal infiltration, to roll out unique identification number (UIN) cards.
Meghalaya chief minister D D Lapang called on the chairman of unique identification authority (UIDA) Nandan Nilekani in Delhi on Wednesday and urged him to start the exercise from districts bordering Bangladesh, official sources in Shillong on Thursday said.
Meghalaya shares about 443 km of the international border with Bangladesh and is facing problems of infiltration.
Nilekani told Lapang that he was the first chief minister from the region to approach him but it would take at least 18 months for UIDA to roll out the UINs.
Also he would soon be calling on all the chief ministers in a phased manner, the sources said.
Meanwhile, Meghalaya will have a separate battalion of security force for deployment in the border area to deal with internal security and also act as second line of defence to BSF.
The battalion would check infiltration and cross border terrorism.
This was conveyed to Lapang by union home minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi on Wednesday, official sources said.
During his meeting with Chidamabaram, the chief minister demanded peace bonus to counter terrorists who are using the state as a sanctuary and transit point, the sources said.