When will the NID service transfer to Home Ministry?

The National Identity Registration Bill-2023, was passed in parliament on September 13; however, the NID service has yet to be transferred to the Security Services Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Until their offices and workforce, among other preparations, are ready, the NID operations will remain under the Election Commission (EC), said Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam on Wednesday while answering questions from journalists at his office at the Nirbachan Bhaban.

Citing the provisions of the recently passed law, the secretary said the new law contains provisions regarding the registration of the National Identity Card.

"The government will decide the date when this will be implemented through a gazette notification," he said, adding that: "Until the government determines the date for the law to be enacted, NID operations will continue as they are."

The secretary further said that regardless of what is in the law, the Election Commission will oversee the NID operations until the law is implemented.

“In other words, until the Ministry of Home Affairs completes all preparations, including office and manpower, the Election Commission will handle this task. I see no issue with this arrangement," he remarked. 

Future of Voter List with NID Service Transfer

Regarding the query about what will happen to the voter list when the National Identity Card (NID) registration operation transfers to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Election Commission (EC) secretary said there is a separate law for the voter list update and the two matters, updating voter list and registering for NID, are entirely different. 

"The Election Commission will still handle voter updates,” he said. 

“The state had entrusted the Election Commission with the responsibility of NID registration. Now, they are taking it back through a new law. Once the law is in place, guidelines will be formulated. Then there will be the setting up of offices and hiring of personnel. After that, the Ministry of Home Affairs will handle NID registration," he explained. 

Although the Election Commission mentioned the creation of the voter list under a separate law, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal had a different view. 

On September 5, the day the bill was introduced in parliament, the Minister said, "This law will not interfere with the voter list. As soon as a citizen turns 18, they will receive a notification stating they have become a voter. Their name will be included in the voter list."

The law states that, based on the Election Commission's requirements, a registrar will provide the necessary information. There will be a cell under the registrar's office for this purpose. One or more staff members from the Election Commission will manage duties in this cell.

How long will it take to transfer NID service to Home Ministry? 

According to sources from the Election Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs, the completion of necessary processes like hiring personnel and setting up offices will mean that the transfer of NID from the Election Commission to the Ministry of Home Affairs might take until 2025. 

This was also mentioned in a joint report from the EC and the Ministry of Home Affairs before the law was passed.

Reasons behind NID server shutdown

Regarding the shutdown the NID server experienced on Tuesday, the secretary said: "Sometimes it experiences a shutdown, and sometimes we need to shut it down. It is not always possible to give prior notice. Electronic devices can shut down at any time. Where there is data storage, there is a risk of cyberattacks. Everyone has the right to take security measures when there is a risk."

When asked if any advance arrangements could be made given the high demand for services, he replied that the database is unified and risks will always be present. 

“There is nothing much to actually do about it. We need to understand whether the concerns are genuine threats or just regular maintenance. There is always a risk, and we must defend the NID server as per the situation,” he said. 

“Just like a bank always has risks, our vast database has risks too," he remarked. 

"The NID server is a valuable asset. It is being updated regularly and it is an ongoing process. Servers being turned off for a day or two is a common occurrence worldwide," he added. 

Preparations for the Parliamentary Election

Speaking about the preparations for the 12th National Parliamentary elections, Jahangir Alam said that the commission is getting ready for the general election according to the electoral preparation roadmap. 

“We are not lagging behind. Training for trainers has begun, starting on September 2. They will be able to train 1 million polling officers later," he said. 

The secretary said that training for upazila nirbahi officers, district election commissioners, district deputy commissioners, divisional commissioners, police superintendents, regional election officers, and police commissioners will commence in the first week of October. 

“Four batches will be trained, with 100 participants in each batch,” he said. 

"There will be briefings regarding online nomination submission, amendments to the law, etc. Training will continue throughout November," he added. 

The EC secretary further said: "Decisions regarding who will be the returning officers for the parliamentary elections have not been made yet. Neither have the details been finalized.”

“The Election Commission will decide it in a meeting. Voting for the parliamentary elections will take place in the last week of December or the first week of January," he added. 

While answering a question about ensuring an unbiased election and how the Election Commission is disseminating the information, Jahangir Alam said: "A letter has been sent to the Cabinet Division. They will communicate with the field-level officials regarding the matter”

“We will work on every aspect according to whatever decision the commission makes for a smooth election," he assured.