The Aadhaar Act amendments will go to Parliament for approval. In the backdrop of the landmark Supreme Court verdict that imposed restrictions on use of Aadhaar by private companies, the cabinet on Monday evening approved amending the Aadhaar Act to enhance powers of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), and ensure stringent safeguards against any violation of norms. The amendments proposed are in compliance of the recent order of the apex court, the source pointed out. The proposed amendments in Aadhaar Act are also in sync with the Srikrishna panel recommendations that had asserted that UIDAI should not only be autonomous in its decision-making, but also be vested with powers akin to traditional regulators for enforcement actions. The amendments talk about enhanced powers to UIDAI to issue directions, and also impose penalty if the directions are not followed.

Source: Mint December 18, 2018 15:00 UTC