The Indian Department of Fisheries has asked fisherman living along the coast in Bhogapuram and Poosapatirega mandals to submit biometric details, so they can receive biometric identification cards from personnel visiting the remote areas, The Hindu reports.
K. Phani Prakash, the assistant director for the Department of Fisheries said out of the 10,000 fishermen living in the two mandals, 3,745 have submitted the appropriate details for ID cards, to be distributed soon.
According to Prakash, the ID cards were being distributed to the fishermen as a result of the existing security measures along the coast. Fishing boats being used long the coast must have a license and those without ID cards and licenses for fishing in these areas would be punished, though it’s unclear what that punishment entails.
This news comes as a public interest litigation in India challenges the legal basis of the Unique Identity Authority of India and subsequently threatens the continuation of the Aadhaar program. As reported previously in BiometricUpdate.com, the ramifications of this litigation would be wide-reaching as many Indians have already been issued Aadhaar numbers and rely on the service for direct cash transfers.
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