EC to Resume Distribution of Smart National ID Cards from April

The Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh has decided to resume the distribution of smart National Identity (NID) cards from April 12, following the completion of the ongoing voter list update program.

The directive was issued during a recent monthly coordination meeting of the EC, according to officials.

Brigadier General Mohammad Azizur Rahman Siddiqui, Project Director of the Identification System for Enhancing Access to Services (IDEA) Phase II, said in the meeting that distributing smart NID cards had been challenging due to the unavailability of necessary equipment. He explained that many technical devices required are currently being used for the voter list update, which is set to conclude on April 11. Once the update process is completed, the smart NID distribution will be intensified.

According to the EC, Bangladesh's total number of registered voters now stands at 12,37,32,274 (12.37 crore). Among them, 6,91,49,349 (6.91 crore) voters have received their smart NID cards.

After the door-to-door voter list update is completed, the Election Commission plans to publish another updated voter list in June. Officials estimate that this update could add over 50 lakh new voters to the electoral roll.

The EC initially launched the smart NID distribution program on October 3, 2016. However, even after more than eight years, a significant portion of eligible voters has yet to receive their cards. The commission aims to expedite the distribution process once the voter list update is finalized.