Aadhaar faces hurdles in Parliamentary panel

More than five months after the launch of Aadhaar, the unique identity number, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) chief Nandan Nilekani continues to face political questioning and apprehension about the scheme.

Nilekani, along with Planning Commission secretary Sudha Pillai, appeared before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance on Friday where many members expressed their reservations.

While some members even questioned the need for such a programme, others asked Nilekani why the scheme was not made mandatory for all residents. Nilekani has promised to give a detailed power-point presentation of Aadhaar in his next appearance before the panel, headed by senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha.

Sources in Parliament said the panel focused on the voluntary nature of the scheme, questioning its effectiveness. One member even dubbed the unique identity card as “another piece of identity card” and questioned how many more identity cards a person needed.

Nilekani explained the benefits of the card and its wide scope in the future but many members of the panel remained doubtful. Nilekani and Pillai were asked why the scheme had not been made mandatory. The Biju Janata Dal’s Bhartruhari Mahtab pointed out that while the UID Act did not make it mandatory, the Planning Commission had issued circulars making unique numbers necessary for a number of projects, including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Members also questioned why state governments would be allowed to decide if they would accept identity numbers for their schemes or carry on business without the cards.

The BJP raised objections that the unique number would help illegal migrants residing in the country to be acknowledged by the government. Nilekani, however, made it clear that the UID authority was not giving any certificate of citizenship but only giving a unique number to each resident. CPI(M)’s Mainul Hassan questioned the very need of the scheme and ruled it “unnecessary”. A Bahujan Samaj Party representative, echoed similar sentiments, as Mayawati’s party doubted the usefulness of the programme.

Last September, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi distributed the first 10 Aadhaar cards in a tribal-dominated area of Maharashtra. According to the Aadhaar authority, the 12-digit number will lead to various demographic details and bank accounts. It also ensures better distribution of government funds meant for the target groups.