New Delhi, September 18
Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani today said the government would again try to reach a consensus on issue of identity cards for all citizens to check illegal immigration in the wake of reservations expressed by certain states.

“We had mooted a proposal for it (issuance of ID cards) but could not be implemented due to reservations by certain states,” Mr Advani said while inaugurating a conference on ethanol and bio-diesel here.

Since states are the implementing authority, their concurrence to the proposal is necessary, he said adding that a law would have to be enacted to implement the identity card scheme.

“Some states have come out in support of the proposal and have assured that they would bring it up at the next meeting (of state Chief Ministers),” Mr Advani said speaking at the programme organised by the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch.

Mr Advani said the issue must be viewed in the context of heightened security concerns and to check illegal immigration.

Slightly deviating from the subject of the conference, Mr Advani said “Swadeshi was a concept aimed at achieving self-sufficiency and economic development by utilising available resources.”

Use of ethanol in petrol and upcoming concept of bio-diesel would reduce country’s dependence on imports, he said, adding that the country had a vast wealth of knowledge capital which should be harnessed for the progress and development of society.

Stating that providing quality infrastructure had been the cornerstone of the Vajpayee government's priority to further economic development, he said an ambitious scheme of connecting four corners of the country with high-class road network, called Golden Quadrilateral, had been launched.

Besides, every village in the country was being connected to the nearest state or national highway. Telephones had reached even the remotest of villages, he said while calling for an urgent need to integrate the vast river systems in the country to eliminate the possibility of droughts.