Parliament passes Aadhaar amendment Bill

  1. The Parliament has passed“The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019” to replace the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019.
  2. The bill envisages strengthening of the Aadhaar Act as per the directions of the Supreme Court and recommendations of Justice B.N.Srikrishna.
  3. The bill says that no individual will be compelled to provide proof of possession of Aadhaar number or undergo authentication for the purpose of establishing his identity unless it is so provided by a law made by Parliament.
  4. For the convenience of the general public in the opening of bank accounts,the bill will allow the use of Aadhaar number for authentication on a voluntary basis as an acceptable KYC document under the Telegraph Act,1885 and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act,2002.
  5. The bill also gives an option to children who are Aadhaar number holders to cancel their Aadhaar number on attaining the age of eighteen years.
  6. The bill proposes deletion of section 57 of the Aadhaar Act relating to use of Aadhaar by private entities.
  7. The bill prevents denial of services for refusing to, or being unable to, undergo authentication.It provides for the establishment of Unique Identification Authority of India Fund.
  8. Further,the bill provides for stiff penalties upon violation of norms pertaining to Aadhaar and violation of privacy.It proposes civil penalty of up to ₹1 crore on entities that violate the provisions of the Aadhaar Act, with an additional fine of up to ₹10 lakh per day in case of continuous non compliance.