Notwithstanding the media glare on this nondescript village with a population of just over 1,000, its sarpanch is unaware of what the hype is all about ahead of the launch of the country's ambitious Unique Identification project here tomorrow.

"I don't know why is there a sudden spurt of activity in the village," Shabribai Sonawane told PTI here, a day ahead of the national launch of 'Aadhaar' by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Tembhli, in Maharashtra's Nandurbar district with a population of 1,098, will become the first 'Aadhaar' village in the country. The tribal Nandurbar district has previously seen Congress leaders launch election campaigns in the state over the years.

Asked if government officials have informed her about the historic event taking place tomorrow, Shabribai, who works eight months a year in adjoining Gujarat as a farmhand, said she was told that some "big people" were coming to her village.

On the unique ID cards, to be given to 10 Tembhli villagers tomorrow, Shabribai, who earns Rs 50 per day as a cotton farm labourer, said she had "no idea what the card will be used for".

A strong media contingent that has descended on the village tried to trace its 10 chosen residents, who would get their 'Aadhaar' numbers tomorrow, with little luck. A police constable on duty suggested that one way to find their identity was to search for hamlets marked with the Aadhaar scheme icon. However, that turned out to be a false lead.

Barricades have been erected everywhere, at the entry point of each lane. Locals said the concrete lanes have been laid out recently, a fringe benefit of the VVIPs visit.

The village school has been painted afresh, so has the PDS shop. The water supply tank too has been painted anew.

The ration shop, gram panchayat office, the anganwadi building, all are gleaming in a fresh coat of paint.

"Please note that in the last few days, teachers have been attending school regularly," said a resident of the village situated on the bank of Gomai river bordering Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

The district administration has provided electricity to 100 houses on an urgent basis under the Rajiv Gandhi Electrification Scheme.

For Tembhli, Diwali, it seems, has arrived a month early as it gets set to become the first among lakhs of villages in India to get the Aadhaar numbers.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, Deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal and UID chief Nandan Nilekani will attend the launch of Aadhaar, billed as the tool that would vastly improve the service delivery mechanism of welfare schemes.