NADRA mobile registration facilities to replace NSRCs
By Ali Imran

ISLAMABAD—National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has planned to replace its National Swift Registration Centres (NSRCs) with Mobile Registration Vans (MRVs) for expediting registration and issuance of Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs). “The Authority is considering to replace some of its NSRCs having low daily turnout of people with mobile registration vans, as currently, some 53 such centres across the country are receiving only 15-20 cases daily,” a NADRA official said here Wednesday NADRA has recently issued 60 millionth CNIC, he said adding now registration has been transformed into routine work that did not require a network of NSRCs, like the initial days.
He said NADRA came up with the idea of increasing mobile vans instead of NSRCs, as these low turnout NSRCs have increased production cost of a single CNIC processed through these NSRCs by more than Rs 200 due to high operational cost of these centres. He said mobile registration vans have been proven very successful in registering the population of far-flung areas where turnout for registration was really low. “The Vans were especially useful in getting women and Senior citizens registered who found it difficult to visit NSRCs to get CNICs,” he added.
NADRA is also planning to appoint only female staff at some mobile vans to provide even more comfortable environment to the women population, he said. The official said NADRA has also devised a strategy with the help of union councils to focus more on the remote areas where people have not yet registered with the Authority.
He said NADRA’s mobile registration vans would go home to home and ensure the registration of the citizens. He said the mobile registration vans were introduced to provide convenience in registration of the masses, especially of old people and women folks, besides reaching out far-flung and isolated places. These vans are equipped with all devices necessary for live data capture, such as computers and cameras, he added. NADRA is planning to increase the number of mobile registration vans which will help the Authority to provide the CNICs to the applicants at their doorstep, wherever possible, the official said.