A meeting of the constitutional body held at its central office in the capital on Monday has also decided to print voter ID cards for the new CA election, said EC Spokesman Bir Bahadur Rai.
This is the first time in the election history of the country, the EC itself will distribute voter ID cards. The commission had only sent invitation cards to about 4.2 million households in the 2008 CA polls to cast their ballots. [break]
The plastic laminated ID cards, which the EC plans to distribute by November 15, will have personal details of voters including a photo, name, the date of birth, and gender, among others.
Asked about the total cost of printing of the voter ID cards, an EC official said, “It will come to the tune of Rs 120 million.”
The EC has registered 12.5 million voters on the new electoral rolls with photo and biometrics.
According to EC officials, the commission had already made up its mind to distribute voter ID cards as the government´s plan to introduce biometric National ID cards is unlikely to materialize any time soon.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), which is entrusted with issuing biometric national ID cards, will use information collected by the EC during the voter registration with photo and biometrics.
The home ministry has formed a separate national ID management center and invited a global tender for procurement of the national ID cards.
The first phase of the US $117 million project is being undertaken under the grant assistance worth US $8 million of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
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