How unique is our Unique ID Aadhaar ?

The ambitious UID project was launched yesterday in India. But how different or useful it is from the numerous numbers we already have. 

UID claims to solve the problem of each person having 10 different numbers for 10 different departments. But the registration process itself takes the very same documents as proof of Identification and Address ! Also, not to leave out the poor who might not have a ration card of any of these 'proof documents' UIDAI has come up with the introductory system which is similar to the bank account opening introductory system. Now, knowing how power can be misused in this country, the harassment and fake registrations some "introducer" can accomplish is any body's guess. The next fact I'm confused about is the number itself. Contrary to the popular expectations, the 12 digit number is just unique, and means nothing more than that. Unlike similar efforts worldwide it is not made up of any codes or numbers of any significance to easily identify the location or date of birth or any information about the individual. One of the documents available to the public explains this logic behind not having any intelligence in the number as follows - The approach of storing intelligence in identification numbers was developed to make filing, manual search and book-keeping easier prior to the advent of computers. This is no longer necessary, since centralized database management systems can index the records for rapid search and access without having to section data by location or date of birth. Well...well ! The last bullet is always the killer - UID registration is NOT mandatory !! Now that certainly makes me wonder WHY do we need this number at all ???

Are we trying to stop another 26/11 ? Are we using GPS / GIS so that our police and soldiers don't have to end up lost or massacred in jungles while fighting ? Are we trying to ensure basic healthcare and education is available to every citizen ? We have so many other issues in the country where the time and effort of somebody like Mr. Nandan Nilekani could be useful. No the UID does not attempt to solve any of these but hey, it never claimed so !

Day labourer Bhiru Mali, who was among the first few who got the card said "They say the card would improve our lives and support (Aadhaar) us, but nobody explained how"