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The House of Representatives said on Wednesday that it had discovered 7 million people who had applied for more than one electronic identity card, a program designed by the government to eliminate duplicate identification documents.

Nurul Arifin, a member of House Commission II, which oversees home affairs, said lawmakers learned the extent of the double-dipping on a visit to the directorate general for citizenship administration at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

“To tackle the problem, the directorate general will conduct verification by returning the double registrations to the respective local administrations,” the Golkar Party lawmaker said.

“The administrations will then give [the registrations] to the individuals and they will have to decide [which to lodge] based on where they live.”

The new smart cards, known as e-KTPs, will be equipped with an electronic chip that will contain more data than previously recorded, such as information on birth, land ownership and tax status.

They will also contain a biometric fingerprint and the holder’s new identity number.

The ministry had said earlier that all Indonesians over the age of 17 would have the new cards by the end of this year. As of Jan. 1, 45 million people had obtained an e-KTP, 22 million short of the target at that point.

This year, the ministry is racing to get e-KTPs into the hands of the remaining 172 million eligible people. Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi said last month that he is ready to resign if the program fails to meet its December deadline.

Under the system, all Indonesian citizens will have one identification number throughout their life. The government has said the system will lead to greater administrative order and, most importantly, prevent identity cards from being duplicated or misused. Some terrorists and terrorist suspects have been found carrying multiple identity cards listing false information.

Nurul said it is crucial the ministry finish the program on time.

“By January 2013, the data can be used as reference for the General Elections Commission to divide electorates based on the number of eligible voters,” she said.

The next legislative elections are scheduled for 2014.