Election Commission Secretary Gets Power to Revise NID Amendments

Election Commission Secretary Gets Power to Revise NID Amendments. In a significant move, the Election Commission of Bangladesh has decided to grant the Election Commission Secretary the authority to revise and reconsider applications for amendments to the National Identity Card (NID) or Voter ID Card.

This new power extends even to applications that have been previously canceled, marking a shift in the standard operating procedures (SOP) governing the NID amendment process.

Traditionally, the process of amending a National Identity Card in Bangladesh involves a multi-tiered verification system. Applications for amendments are reviewed and approved at four different levels, depending on the complexity and category of the application:

This process ensures that applications are thoroughly vetted before any changes are made to a citizen National Identity Card.

However, the finality of the Director General’s decision has often led to frustration among applicants whose amendments were rejected, especially for minor errors.

The Election Commission has proposed changes to the existing process, which would empower the Election Commission Secretary to have the final say in the amendment of National Identity Cards.

Under the new rules, if the Director General of the NID Division rejects an application or if the application falls outside of their jurisdiction, it will be sent to the Election Commission Secretary for final consideration.

This change was initiated following a decision by Chief Election Commissioner Md. Ahsan Habib Khan during a recent meeting of the Information Technology Implementation Committee. The Director General has been instructed to implement this new procedure.

The rationale behind this significant shift is to address the growing number of pending NID amendment applications, which currently stand at over 119 million on the Election Commission’s servers.

A large portion of these applications have been rejected due to minor errors or because it was unclear which officer had the authority to cancel them.

By adding an additional layer of reconsideration through the Election Commission Secretary, the new process aims to reduce the number of rejected applications and expedite the amendment process.

This adjustment also comes with the appointment of 20 additional regional officers, who have been tasked with overseeing the specific responsibilities of election officers within the Election Commission.

For Bangladeshi citizens, these changes could bring about a significant improvement in the way NID amendment applications are handled. Previously, minor mistakes in the application process often led to outright rejections, causing frustration and delays for many applicants.

With the Election Commission Secretary now having the power to reconsider these rejected applications, there is hope that the number of rejections will decrease and the overall efficiency of the amendment process will improve.

This reconsideration facility is expected to be particularly beneficial for those who have faced repeated rejections due to minor errors or technicalities.

The ability to have their applications reviewed by a higher authority offers a second chance for citizens to correct their information without the burden of going through the entire application process again.

The decision to empower the Election Commission Secretary with the authority to revise and reconsider NID amendment applications represents a forward-thinking approach to improving public service delivery.

By addressing the bottlenecks in the current system, the Election Commission aims to enhance the accuracy of the National Identity Card database while also providing a more user-friendly experience for the citizens of Bangladesh.

If implemented effectively, this change could lead to faster processing times and fewer rejected applications, ultimately benefiting both the Election Commission and the citizens it serves.