Many people in developing countries are born and grow up without being formally registered or having any form of ID. Normally, this isn’t a problem for the government as these people don’t vote and politicians don’t want to be held accountable by them. At the same time, it is not a problem for these unregistered individuals since they normally come from vulnerable rural backgrounds, don’t get anything from the government and survive from the fruits of their work in informal markets. Nevertheless, when a pandemic like COVID-19 demanded the governments to provide the measures and incentives for every citizen to stay home and reduce the spread of the virus, it was required to know how these individuals where, how many of them were out there and find a way of contacting them remotely. How can you provide incentives for someone to stay home if you know he/she exists but don’t know who or where he/she is? How can you provide financial aid to someone who has not bank account or personal ID and you have no form of contacting them? How can you track and trace an individual when you have neglected their existence for so long?
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