Govt must sit with EC to discuss transferring NID services, says CEC

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda on Wednesday urged the government to sit with the commission to discuss its decision to move the National Identity (NID) services from the election body to the home ministry.

“If they want to shift it from us, they will have to talk to us over how they will take it or not. Then we’ll raise more logics in favour of our stance,” he said.

The CEC made these remarks while talking to reporters after inaugurating a medical camp at Electoral Training Institute (ETI) Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon.

In reply to a question, KM Huda said the government should take the initiative of the discussion. “What will eventually happen or not is a matter of the next step (following the discussion),” he adde

Asked if there will be scope for discussion even after the issuance of gazette notification to shift the NID services, he said surely, there is scope as it is a large institution, which can’t be shifted in this way.

“They must discuss how it will be shifted or not. There must be a discussion. It is not like a table or chair that can be picked up in this way (without having discussion),” he added.

The CEC said the EC has already created skilled manpower to run the NID services. If the services are shifted to another place, it will need to create new manpower for it.

“So, it will be good if the services can be rendered by our experienced persons,” he said.

The government wants to shift the NID services from the EC to the Security Services Division under the Home Ministry. But the EC wants to keep the services under its authority, reports UNB.