India’s Employee’s Security Insurance Corporation (ESIC) is launching a biometric card drive for industrial workers in Gurgaon and Manesar, reports The Times of India.

The aim of the program is to have a central database of industrial employee medical histories, as many don’t possess the appropriate identification and insurance papers. The new system issues magnetic swipe IDs to replace an ineffective paper ID system.

In the Gurgaon region alone, 3 lakh 60 thousand biometric IDs have been issued, and the office expects that total to reach 5 lakh in a few months.

To register workers, the ESIC offices have been collecting workers’ photographs and fingerprints. To facilitate those who cannot make it to the main offices, the ESIC has brought the office to the worker by operating “offline camps” in areas where there is a higher concentration of workers.

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