The UID system has an inbuilt security and privacy component which ensures that information from the data bank could not be accessed except on grounds like national security, Unique Identification Authority of India Chairman Nandan Nilekani said today.

The Unique Identification data base could not be read except for authentication and could not be accessed easily, he said.

He was speaking at the launch of the forum for revitalising of public services (FRPS), a collaborative effort between National Academy of Customs and Excise and Narcotics and the direct taxes regional training institute (DTRTI).

The project, which attempts to give a unique identity number to the country's over billion people and expected to be rolled out shortly, would help in delivery of government's welfare schemes, boost financial inclusion, beside enabling other service providers like banks, insurance companies to tap on the UID for authentication purposes.

He said the UID could also help in setting up of micro ATMs as part of the government's objective to bring in financial inclusion. Through the UID, a grocery store in a village could help a beneficiary of welfare scheme to withdraw cash by simply providing the UID number.

The store, could authenticate the beneficiary through the UID number. "This way we could have micro ATMs everywhere," he said.

"It could give acknowledged existence to those currently out of the system," he said referring to thousands of homeless people or those without birth certification or other identification proof.

He also enlisted the other ways the UID number could help in terms of banking, public distribution system, employment schemes, healthcare and education. The UID number could eliminate bogus beneficiaries, he said.

Talking about his experience while working for the UID since he took over the job, he said, "I am like a trainee. I had to learn a lot of things but the most important one being how to ensure due processes and documentation were in place before a decision making unlike the private sector."

"The private sector could learn from the rigorousness of the government sector," he added.

He also advocated short service commission to get more people drawn into the public service sector.