The government and the Election Commission are once again at odds over the responsibility for the NID service, as the interim government moves forward with plans to transfer the service to an independent institution, removing it from the jurisdiction of the EC.
As part of this initiative, the government has approved the draft National Identity Registration (Repeal) Ordinance, 2025 in principle and initiated the formation of a separate commission namely the Civil Registration Commission to transfer the responsibility for national identity registration and the issuance of national identity cards from the EC.
Earlier, the Awami League regime had taken an initiative to bring the NID service under the Ministry of Home Affairs from the EC and enacted the National Identity Registration Act in 2023.
After the fall of the AL regime amid a mass uprising on August 5, 2024, the act was repealed.
Chief election commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Tuesday told reporters that the NID service should remain under the control of the Election Commission.
If otherwise, the commission鈥檚 work will be hampered, he said.
The CEC said that the Election Commission would send a written recommendation to the government on this matter.
A number of political parties said that the interim government should engage in detailed discussions with the EC and other stakeholders before transferring the NID service to a separate authority.
Leaders from various parties also stressed that the government should clearly explain the necessity of establishing a separate commission for the NID before implementing the decision.
According to a document from the Cabinet Division, during the meeting of the advisers council held on February 6, chief advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus granted both in-principle and final approval to the draft of the National Identity Registration Act (Repeal) Ordinance, 2025.
The meeting discussed that the drafting of the National Identity Registration Act (Repeal) Ordinance, 2025 by the Cabinet Division was a timely one.
It also mentioned that it was appropriate to manage the activities related to national identity registration and NID services through a completely independent, autonomous institution, rather than keeping it under the jurisdiction of the EC.
The meeting decided that the Cabinet Division would take necessary actions as per the discussions of the advisory council meeting.
Following the directives of the advisory council, the Cabinet Division prepared a draft titled 鈥楥ivil Registration (Commission) Ordinance, 2025,鈥� aimed at forming a separate commission to take over the responsibility for the NID service.
The Cabinet Division on Monday held an inter-ministerial committee meeting to review the draft of the Civil Registration (Commission) Ordinance, 2025.
CEC Nasir Uddin expected that the government would make a decision considering all the practical issues as the work of updating the voter list was ongoing and an election was approaching.
鈥榃e have already conveyed our views through our representatives in the initial meeting. However, we have not yet received the meeting minutes. After receiving the meeting minutes, we will better understand the government鈥檚 stance,鈥� the CEC said.
Nasir Uddin said that they would discuss the issue whenever there was an opportunity to do so.
He also mentioned that there had been a sense of disappointment among EC officials regarding the departure of the NID service.
According to the draft Civil Registration (Commission) Ordinance, 2025, the commission will be responsible for coordinating and enhancing the existing civil registration system.
This will include the registration of births, deaths, marriages, divorces, and adoptions, as well as determining the cause of death.
The commission will also oversee the collection of migration, healthcare and education data, the draft read.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed told 抖阴精品 that the government should engage in detailed discussions with the EC and other stakeholders before transferring the NID service to a separate authority.
He said that the previous government had taken an initiative to bring the NID service under the home ministry with mala fide intention but the interim government should not have such bad intention.
鈥楾he government should not take the decision in a hurry. They need to discuss with everyone and make a decision that will be the best for the nation,鈥� Salahuddin said.
Ganosamhati Andolan chief coordinator Zonayed Saki said that the government should clearly explain the necessity of establishing a separate commission for the NID.
Echoing Salahuddin, he said that the government must hold discussions with stakeholders before transferring the NID service to a separate authority.
National Citizen Party joint convener Sarwar Tushar said that the government should not experiment with the responsibility of the NID service at this moment as the preparation of the voter list was underway for the upcoming elections.
The government鈥檚 draft ordinance also said that the commission would manage the national identity registration programme, which involves the preparation, distribution, and maintenance of identity cards, along with all related responsibilities.
The commission will also work to modernise the integrated service delivery management, focusing on unique ID, CRVS enterprise architecture, interoperability standards, and citizen core data structure.
The draft said that the commission would review the potential of frontier technologies, such as blockchain technology, to decentralise the civil registration process and provide recommendations to the government based on an evaluation of the legal and institutional framework.
It will ensure the confidentiality and security of civil registration data, provide information in the most efficient way to meet the needs of citizens and institutions and undertake public awareness initiatives to make the system more transparent and user-friendly.
The commission will enter into agreements with both local and international institutions to expedite and develop the civil registration system, the draft added.