Bill to provide UIDAI legal status likely next week

In meantime, UIDAI has been functioning under an executive order issued by government in January 2009

The government intends to bring in Parliament a Bill next week to provide statutory status to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues Aadhaar numbers to residents, said an official.

According to the official, all steps for discussion and passage of the Bill in Parliament have been taken. The Cabinet had approved the proposal of the Ministry of Planning to move official amendments to the Bill in October.

The government had introduced the National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010, in December that year. The Lok Sabha Speaker, in consultation with the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, had referred the Bill to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance.

The committee presented its report to the Lok Sabha and tabled it in the Rajya Sabha on December 13, 2011. In the meantime, UIDAI has been functioning under an executive order issued by the government in January 2009.

The Bill proposes to constitute a statutory authority to be called the National Identification Authority of India and lay down its powers and functions, the framework for issuing Aadhaar numbers and define offences and penalties and incidental matters through an Act of Parliament. UIDAI has so far issued about 51 crore Aadhaar numbers, which serve as proof of identity and address.