Learning with the Times: Why Aadhaar has no parallel

NEW DELHI: The idea of a single over-arching identity number for all citizens issued by the state is not new, but in most developed countries, passport and driver's licence remain the most-accepted IDs. Here is a look at why Aadhaar is really unique.

ID cards started as a tool to track citizens.

France was 1803-04 the first country in the modern world to issue identity cards. Introduced during Napoleon's time, the card was issued mostly to the working class to control their movement and keep wages down. Workers had to submit their cards (livret ID) to employers and take it back if they wanted a change of job — getting the card back was difficult

1839: Ottoman emperor Sultan Mahmud II was witnessing a decline in influence amid increasing interference of other European countries in his territories. In his bid to enhance the state's power on citizens, Mahmud's Tanzimat introduced a national ID card