Lok Sabha passes Aadhaar Bill to empower citizens

The bill intends to give unique identity to residents and give legal teeth to the govt

The Lok Sabha on Friday passed the Aadhaar bill to provide a unique identity to residents and give legal teeth to the government in ensuring that its subsidies and services directly reach the beneficiaries in entirety.

The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016, was passed by a voice vote after a brief debate, during which Finance Minister Arun Jaitley assured the house that details provided for the card will not be misused in any manner.

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When enacted, the bill intends to empower the government in providing targeted services to the intended beneficiaries by assigning them unique identity numbers, called Aadhaar. It will be given to every person who has stayed in India for 182 days in the year preceding the date of application.