CIOL had earlier reported that the number will be rolled out first in Mysore and Tumkur districts of Karnataka.

Nilekani said that UID will be a national inter-operable mobile identity, based on biometrics, which people can use anywhere in the country.

He also said that UIDAI has identified 220 enrollment agencies in the country for the roll out of the project.

The UIDAI chief also said the authority is planning to set up micro ATMs in the country, especially villages where no ATM facility is available. The micro ATMs set up in the local shops etc will have a biometric reader which can act as an authentication device.

Visvesvaraya Memorial Award

On Wednesday, the Bharat Ratna Sir M Visvesvaraya Memorial Award 2010, instituted by the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FKCCI), was conferred on Nandan Nilekani.

“It’s an extraordinary honour to be given this award; it’s even more special because I am receiving this on the 150th birth anniversary of Sir MV,” said Nilekani. He said it’s impossible to travel around without seeing the stamp left by Sir M Visvesvaraya on Karnataka and the country.

Veerappa Moily, Union Minister for Law and Justice, who presented the award, praised Nilekani as the son of the soil and said he was about to revolutionise the way we live our lives.