The government is set to make National Identity Cards (NID) mandatory for recruitment in government jobs.
The Election Commission (EC) has taken the initiative to include this requirement in the relevant legal framework of public administration, aiming to make the NID compulsory alongside other recruitment-related documents, SM Humayun Kabir, director general of the National Identity Registration Wing, told reporters on Tuesday.
Earlier, on Monday afternoon, a meeting was held under the initiative of the Election Commission with the Ministry of Public Administration and 27 other ministries and agencies. The meeting was presided over by EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed.
In the meeting, eight arguments were presented to explain the necessity of making the NID mandatory.
Humayun said: “A significant portion of those whose NIDs we correct are government employees. Previously, they used to receive their salaries through vouchers. Now they get paid through the Integrated Budget and Accounting System (iBAS), based on their NID. Their livelihood, salary, allowances, and even the maintenance of their children are tied to this. Since salary is processed via iBAS, having a valid NID has become mandatory.”
He further said: “Some offices have stated that if the NID is not correct, salary disbursement will be completely halted. At that point, employees go to iBAS, and from there to their offices — but they cannot do much. Then they come to us. Even when they come to our office, we cannot always correct the information directly. Sometimes, we cannot even provide a resolution.”
The official added that a list has been prepared of those who still do not take the NID seriously, and relevant departments and agencies have been summoned.
“Although the use of NID is mandatory under the NID Act and in iBAS, some offices have still shown negligence. They mentioned that if the salaries and allowances of the concerned individuals remain stuck, they will take the initiative to resolve the issue from the authority’s end.”
Regarding NID corrections, the director general further said: “We process the ones that can be easily corrected. For those that cannot be corrected easily, we try to resolve the issues through higher authorities. This is a problem for us, for the country, and for the affected individuals. Those who attended the meeting were encouraged and said that we need to follow through on this.”
Regarding the initiative to make NID mandatory for recruitment, he said: “It is already part of a legal framework. In public administration, the SSC certificate is often given more importance. Regarding the NID, we will take the initiative to include it in the legal framework that everyone in public administration follows. We have requested them to inform all offices or institutions, such as schools, universities, and colleges, through their respective ministries to give importance to the NID. They have informed us that they will do so.”