New NIDs to recognise hijras

Hijras or transgenders in Bangladesh will now be able to exercise their franchise.

They are free to identify themselves as males, females or hijras in their national identity cards (NID).

The Election Commission (EC) is amending the NID registration rules after the government recognised the third sex last November.

Election Commissioner Md Sirajul Islam said the 'hijra category' has been included in the NID alongside the usual male and female slots.

"We have amended the rules and sent them to the law ministry," he told bdnews24.com.

Bangladesh's hijra population is around 10,000.

Smartcard price fixed

Smart NIDs can now be renewed for Tk 100 and new one had in place of a lost one for Tk 1,000.

EC's NID registration division fixed the rates with finance ministry approval.

The cards, valid for 10 years, are expected to be issued to eligible voters from early next year.

The EC had earlier proposed Tk 500 to Tk 4,000 as fee for regular and emergency NID renewals or replacements, in case of loss or theft.

The finance ministry slashed them substantially before giving approval.

Voters at present are given laminated ID cards having a 10-year validity time.

All preparations are being made to issue smartcards at the beginning of 2015, said Brig Gen Sultanuzzaman Md Saleh Uddin, director general of the National Identity Registration Division.

He said the regular smartcard renewal fee is Tk 100 and the emergency one is Tk 150.

In case of loss or theft of a new card for the first time, the regular fee is Tk 200 and emergency fee, Tk 300.

For a second replacement, the regular fee will go up to Tk 300-500, and for subsequent ones it could be anything between Tk 500 and Tk 1,000.

For making changes to the entered information, citizens would be charged a regular fee of Tk 200 and an emergency fee of double the sum.

The proposed rules say a routine delivery would take 30 days an emergency despatch, a week.

The proposals have been sent to the law ministry, EC's legal wing Senior Secretary Mosharaf Hossain said.

The government has allocated over Tk 7.28 for the EC to implement nine programmes including the digitised smart cards project.