Monsoon Session: Aadhaar Bill introduced in Lok Sabha

The Bill, once approved, will replace the ordinance issued in March this year.

The Bill amends the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 and further to amend the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2022.

Introducing the Bill, Information Technology and Communication Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, 'The Bill amends the Aadhaar Bill and is in national interest and it does not violate privacy...I want to reassure that there is no mandatory compliance. SIM cards can be taken with or without Aadhaar."

The bill was tabled amidst protests by opposition parties over concerns of privacy.

RSP member N K Premachandran opposed the bill on three key grounds -- it violates an earlier Supreme Court judgment, allows for private agencies to store data and violates fundamental rights.

The Aadhaar Act in its present form does not empower the authority to take enforcement action against errant entities in the Aadhaar eco-system. This needs to be addressed with a view to protect privacy and also to ensure the autonomy of the authority.

The bill seeks to provide for 12-digit Aadhaar number and its alternate numbers to be generated by the authority in such manner as may be specified by regulations to conceal the actual Aadhaar number of an individual.

It also gives an option to children who are Aadhaar number holders to cancel their Aadhaar number on attaining the age of 18 years.

The Bill also provides for voluntary use of Aadhaar number in physical or electronic form by authentication or offline verification or any other mode which may be notified by the government.