The Cabinet on Monday (June 12) granted final approval to the draft of the “National Identity Card Registration Act, 2023”.

The act introduces the provision of issuing a unique national identity number immediately after birth.

Simultaneously, under this new legislation, responsibility for NID services will be transferred from the Election Commission (EC) to the Security Services Division within the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The approval was granted in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office, confirmed Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain.

“With the enactment of this new law, newborns will receive a unique ID shortly after birth. This will later become the individual’s NID card number,” he elaborated.

Mahbub Hossain also detailed that a register office would oversee operations related to the unique NID card, and this office would determine the necessary manpower and organizational structure for the task.

The government has taken this initiative to make the NID services more efficient, he added.

Responding to a question, the Cabinet secretary clarified that the act will come into effect on a date declared by the government, and will not become immediately applicable after parliamentary approval.

As per the new law, all services related to NID will fall under the remit of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Currently, the Election Commission holds authority over NID-related operations.