First unique ID number to be issued within a year: Nilekani

Unique Identity Authority of India chairman Nandan Nilekani Friday said it would take about a year to issue the first unique identity (UID) number in the country.

"According to the present status of the project, the first UID issuance will take 12 to 18 months from the date of sanction of the project in August (2009). It is likely to cover about 600 million people within five years," Nilekani told reporters here.