Parliamentarians, staff register NID cards via mobile phones

THE PNG Civil and Identity Registry started mobile registrations for MPs and parliamentary staff yesterday.
It will continue until tomorrow when parliament rises.
The National Identity (NID) project is moving at speed under the leadership of Acting Registrar-General Michael Kumung.
Kumung, in his presentation to the MPs, highlighted that the target was to register 1.5 million people by December and the overall objective was to get everyone registered by 2021.
“Why are we doing this presentation to the open members and governors and providing them the opportunity to register here at Parliament is to tell them that we are ready, well prepared and need their support and partnerships,” he said.
Kumung said they were planning to choose five pilot districts to roll out mobile registrations for NID, and the support of local MPs and their district development authorities (DDAs) were important.
“Our current registration statistics is 365,830 and we have a total of 57,717 applications pending data entry as of 13 Feb, 2018, so the number is growing every day,” KUmung said.
“Our vision is to register 1.5 million people by the end of this year, but if the local MPs and their DDAs and governors and their provincial administration come forward to partner with us.”
Some of the districts that have shown interest to become pilot districts were Kompiam-Ambum in Enga, Yangoru-Saussia in East Sepik, Gazelle open in East New Britain and Gulf.