AADHAAR AND OTHER LAWS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2019
09, Jul 2019
Prelims level : Polity Governance- Parliament P3
Mains level : Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Context- Parliament cleared the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019
Features:
- which allows voluntary use of Aadhaar as proof of identity to open bank accounts and get mobile phone connections.
- The law ensures no Individual is ever denied any service for not having or producing Aadhaar for authentication.
- An Aadhaar holder can now opt for offline verification through QR code with consent.
- It had also barred private companies from using the unique identity number for authenticating customers.
- The amendments in the law will enable the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)—the authority responsible for issuing Aadhaar numbers—to hold back the misuse of 12 digit identification number.
- UIDAI can also impose a penalty of up to ₹1 crore if an entity fails to comply with the Aadhaar law and does not provide information sought by UIDAI.