The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill proposes changes in the Aadhaar Act, Indian Telegraph Act and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to comply with a
Supreme Court judgment on September 26 last year, in which it upheld the constitutional validity of unique identification project with certain restrictions and changes.
The Highest Court on September 26 prohibited the mandatory use of Aadhaar-based KYC for mobile connections and bank accounts. Supreme Court in its 40-page verdict against a batch of petitions questioning the constitutional validity of the Aadhar Act, 2016 said that Aadhar act isn’t breaching anybody’s right to privacy.
Speaking on the bill, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, “Aadhaar being a digital identity has removed the role of a middleman in a substantial measure whose basic role was cutting, fitting and setting.” He further said that through Aadhaar, technology is being used to transform India, poor are feeling empowered and Rs 90,000 crore has been saved.
According to the new rule, minors will have an option to withdraw from the biometric system of Aadhaar on attaining 18 years of age. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will then have to delete all the information of the person from its database.
Prasad in its speech in the Lok Sabha on Friday displayed his Aadhar Card and said, It doesn’t tell about my caste, religion and medical condition. It is safe and secured and is for India and Indians.”
Hailing PM Narendra Modi in his speech he said, “Out of 130 crore people in the country as many as 123 crore people have reposed faith in Aadhaar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi strengthened it with Aadhaar Act. We have issued a circular that nobody should be denied benefits for the want of Aadhaar. We have also said that nobody will be denied medical services for the want of Aadhaar.”
The Union Cabinet on December last year has signed off the necessary amendments to at least three laws namely the Telegraph Act, Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Aadhaar Act to allow the voluntary use of Aadhaar.
The move is likely to strengthen the privacy ecosystem as it declares any attempt to hack into the Aadhaar database as an offense punishable for 10 years in jail.
With this amendment, telecom service providers, apart from using Aadhaar for authentication, can also opt for off-line verification, use of a passport, or any other officially valid document or modes of identification as notified by the Central Government to issue new connection to a consumer.
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