ISLAMABAD: Citizens can apply, renew and modify their national identity card by sitting at home as the country’s top authority for database and registration has launched the NADRA biker service.

“A home-based NADRA’s biker service is basically a portable National Database and Registration Authority Centre,” Tariq Malik, the chairperson said during the ceremony.

“It will walk into the peoples’ lounges and register them in their premises saving them from the hassle of visiting the NADRA centre,” Malik said, “female registration officers using scooties will also carry out the registration of women only through this service.”

The initiative is launched in the twin cities in its pilot phase. It would be extended to all districts by the end of this year. Thus, the ID card will be sent to the applicant’s address through a courier service.

The applicants will have to get an appointment through the website (https://www.nadra.gov.pk), mobile application (NADRA Rahbar) or NADRA Call Centre on 1777 (for subscribers of Mobilink, Ufone, Telenor and Zong) and (051) 111 786 100 (for fixed lines) for the service.

The Nadra chairperson claimed that he had been working on out-of-box solutions with a prime focus on creating hand-on facilitation and hassle-free registration for people in a bid to accommodate “more than 125,000 footfall daily at 771 NADRA centres” across the country.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, who launched the service, lauded the efforts of the Nadra chairperson. “Malik has set a new benchmark globally by creating public facilitation regime through the implementation of international standards and world’s best practices in NADRA.”

He hoped that the new initiative would provide facilities to the people at their doorsteps while acknowledging a wide network of NADRA services.

Smart facilities should be introduced in small towns, Sanaullah said, adding: “Nadra biker Service is a great facility and its network should be stretched throughout the country.”

He directed that the scope of online facilities for overseas Pakistanis should also be expanded and urged the chairperson to develop an automated system to register newborn children.

Floods disrupt services

NADRA operations in Sindh, Balochistan and South Punjab have been badly affected by devastating floods and heavy rains, the chairperson said.

Floods triggered by rains have caused heavy losses to the most of buildings of NADRA registration centres. But the equipment has been saved and shifted. The houses of 150 NADRA employees in those areas have been damaged.

“More than 37 million people have been terribly affected due to floods and continuous downpour,” he said, adding that heavy rains in certain areas led to the loss of national identity cards of affected people that would be needed to have an access to governments’ relief disbursement and other relief activities.

(With input from APP)