NADRA losing Rs40 on every identity card
Average cost of one card is Rs976.56 while the authority earns Rs936. 37: report
PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
NADRA is losing Rs40.19 on an average on every identity card it is issuing to both expatriates residing overseas and in the country, the authority told the Supreme Court on Thursday.
Deputy Attorney General Sohail Mahmood submitted a report on behalf of NADRA Chairman Usman Mobeen before a three-judge bench of the apex court in a suo motu case initiated after a non-resident Pakistani complained that the fee for a Pakistan Origin Card (POC) had been increased to Rs22,000, and cancellation fee to Rs31, 500. The bench asked NADRA to submit details of its staff and centres in 26 countries.
In 2015-16, NADRA processed 16,299,325 applications for identity documents of all types in addition to 37,156 applications that did not involve the issuance of an identity document.
NADRA processed a total 16,336,481 applications during the same period. “The average cost of one card is Rs976.56 while the NADRA earns 936. 37,” the report stated.
Govt owes Rs2.5 billion to NADRA, SC told
The authority claimed that it was not engaged in monopolistic profiting from citizens.
As much as 72 per cent of the cost of issuance of identity cards was spent on manpower deputed all over the country, implying that 10 per cent increase in salaries of staff directly corresponded to a 7.02 per cent increase in the cost of issuing identity cards.
According to the report, the government regularly announced relief allowances and salary increases, but the fee structure had largely remained unchanged since 2012.
“NADRA’s identity card operations are subject to continued risk of losing financial sustainability.”
Complaint of expats: CJP takes notice of hefty POC fee
Any reduction, the report stated, in the pricing of higher-priced cards to maintain financial sustainability, adding that NADRA continued to keep itself profitable through numerous projects it wins across the world such as Sudan, Kenya and Fiji and numerous projects it implemented in Pakistan on commercial basis.
In 2002, the price of NICOP was $25 for every three years of validity up to a maximum of 15 years.
Fifteen years later, one can walk into NADRA center and get the same NICOP with a longer validity for just $25 and smart card based on NICOP for just $33.
On NADRA’s 26 foreign missions, Rs34,383,391 were spent on issuance of cards to overseas Pakistanis.
You won't believe how much NADRA charges for cancellation of Pakistan Origin Card
NADRA told the SC that it never forced anyone to get NICOP and POC: both were obtained voluntarily.
“We allow all Pakistanis to obtain the card at same rate as applicable in Pakistan by applying online.” Interestingly, 1,592,370 NICOP applications were filed during the 2015-16 period, an overwhelming 71.8 per cent (1,143,765) were made from centers within Pakistan whereas applicants clearly had the choice of going for a standard identity card instead.
“We conclude that applicants pay higher prices based on the value proposition of these cards for requirements external to NADRA.”
SBP ‘looking into’ NADRA-MasterCard agreement
The report also stated that in 2008, the federal government decided to charge no fees from people obtaining identity cards for the first time, adding that the government also decided to pay Rs75 to NADRA on every free identity card issued.
“Thus over the past financial year, 3,361,715 free identity cards were issued. Whereas the government paid us small amounts initially, and it still owes us (NADRA) Rs2.5 billion in this regard.”
NADRA is losing Rs40.19 on an average on every identity card it is issuing to both expatriates residing overseas and in the country, the authority told the Supreme Court on Thursday.
Deputy Attorney General Sohail Mahmood submitted a report on behalf of NADRA Chairman Usman Mobeen before a three-judge bench of the apex court in a suo motu case initiated after a non-resident Pakistani complained that the fee for a Pakistan Origin Card (POC) had been increased to Rs22,000, and cancellation fee to Rs31, 500. The bench asked NADRA to submit details of its staff and centres in 26 countries.
In 2015-16, NADRA processed 16,299,325 applications for identity documents of all types in addition to 37,156 applications that did not involve the issuance of an identity document.
NADRA processed a total 16,336,481 applications during the same period. “The average cost of one card is Rs976.56 while the NADRA earns 936. 37,” the report stated.
Govt owes Rs2.5 billion to NADRA, SC told
The authority claimed that it was not engaged in monopolistic profiting from citizens.
As much as 72 per cent of the cost of issuance of identity cards was spent on manpower deputed all over the country, implying that 10 per cent increase in salaries of staff directly corresponded to a 7.02 per cent increase in the cost of issuing identity cards.
According to the report, the government regularly announced relief allowances and salary increases, but the fee structure had largely remained unchanged since 2012.
“NADRA’s identity card operations are subject to continued risk of losing financial sustainability.”
Complaint of expats: CJP takes notice of hefty POC fee
Any reduction, the report stated, in the pricing of higher-priced cards to maintain financial sustainability, adding that NADRA continued to keep itself profitable through numerous projects it wins across the world such as Sudan, Kenya and Fiji and numerous projects it implemented in Pakistan on commercial basis.
In 2002, the price of NICOP was $25 for every three years of validity up to a maximum of 15 years.
Fifteen years later, one can walk into NADRA center and get the same NICOP with a longer validity for just $25 and smart card based on NICOP for just $33.
On NADRA’s 26 foreign missions, Rs34,383,391 were spent on issuance of cards to overseas Pakistanis.
You won't believe how much NADRA charges for cancellation of Pakistan Origin Card
NADRA told the SC that it never forced anyone to get NICOP and POC: both were obtained voluntarily.
“We allow all Pakistanis to obtain the card at same rate as applicable in Pakistan by applying online.” Interestingly, 1,592,370 NICOP applications were filed during the 2015-16 period, an overwhelming 71.8 per cent (1,143,765) were made from centers within Pakistan whereas applicants clearly had the choice of going for a standard identity card instead.
“We conclude that applicants pay higher prices based on the value proposition of these cards for requirements external to NADRA.”
SBP ‘looking into’ NADRA-MasterCard agreement
The report also stated that in 2008, the federal government decided to charge no fees from people obtaining identity cards for the first time, adding that the government also decided to pay Rs75 to NADRA on every free identity card issued.
“Thus over the past financial year, 3,361,715 free identity cards were issued. Whereas the government paid us small amounts initially, and it still owes us (NADRA) Rs2.5 billion in this regard.”