NSIA asked to issue CNICs to all govt servants in a month

KABUL (Pajhwok): The National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) on Wednesday said all government employees would be distributed Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC) in one month.

But some government officials expressed their concern after the Cabinet’s decision that salaries of employees would be paid only to those having CNIC.

Hakim Mukhtar, spokesperson for the Administrative Affairs Department of Presidential Palace, said that the Cabinet’s meeting last month had approved the distribution of CNIC to all government employees by NSIA in one month.

Despite the Cabinet decision of issuing CNICs in one month, some government institutions had informed their employees that in case they were unable to get their CNIC, their monthly salary will not be paid.

Pajhwok Afghan News contacted some government employees in the ministries of Public Heath, Information and Cultural Affairs, Mining and Petroleum, Public Works, Telecommunication and Information Technology and they said CNIC is a must and in its absence, employees will not get their monthly salary.

These employees are concerned and say the government lacks the capacity to distribute CNIC to all workers in a short period of time.

Mohammad Haroon Malakzai, a doctor at the Indira Gandhi Children Hospital, said they were lately informed to get CNIC otherwise their salaries would not be paid.

He added since past one month, doctors and other staff members of the hospital had been applying CNIC, but their documents were yet to be processed.

Zar Walli, an employee of the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology, said: “We were told one month earlier to get CNIC otherwise our salaries will not be paid. All of the employees have filled out necessary forms and have applied for CNIC.”

An employee of the Ministry of Education (MoE), who wished not to be named, said they were informed to get CNIC until mid-November otherwise their salaries will not be paid.

He also said he and other colleagues had filled the forms and submitted them to the concerned authority but they had not been informed about further process.

“The process of CNIC distribution should be accelerated because we have been told to possess the CNIC by mid-November,” he said.

Robina Shahabi, spokesperson for NSIA, said the decision to ask all government employees to have CNIC meant digitalization of data, bringing transparency and elimination of ghost government employees.

She said according to the Cabinet decision all government employees should be issued CNIC in one month and but linking CNIC with monthly salary payment was not mentioned in the decision, she said.

Nh/ma