Government Plan Programme Policies for UPSC Exam

:: Aadhaar ::

The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, was passed by government of India as a money bill. The Bill intends to provide for targeted delivery of subsidies and services to individuals residing in India by assigning them unique identity numbers, called Aadhaar numbers. Apr 2016 marked another achievement in Aadhaar, UIDAI recently issued 100 crores Aadhaar card. First Aadhaar card was issued in 2010. Aadhaar coverage now is at 93 percent among people above the age of 18 (as per projected population figures of 2015). In thirteen states and union territories (UTs) Aadhaar saturation has crossed 90 percent, while in thirteen other statues and UTs it is between 75-90 percent. Aadhaar bill along with Aadhaar card for more and more people will give a boost to the Government’s initiative of bringing a systemic change in the way services, subsidies and benefits will be directly delivered to the deserving masses. Over the years Aadhaar has seen growth in the number of users. The number of transactions using Aadhaar Authentication has risen to 150.6 crore as on March 31, 2016, compared to 8.82 crore on May 31, 2014. The number of e-KYC transactions has gone up to 8.4 crore as on March 31, 2016 as against 2.7 lakh transaction on May 31, 2014.

Some of the important provisions in the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill are given below:

• Every resident shall be entitled to obtain an Aadhaar number. A resident is a person who has resided in India for 182 days, in the one year preceding the date of application for enrolment for Aadhaar.
• To obtain an Aadhaar number, an individual has to submit his, (i) biometric (photograph, finger print, iris scan) and (ii) demographic (name, date of birth, address) information.
• Individuals needs to informed regarding few important things like manner in which the information will be used, the nature of recipients with whom the information will be shared, and the right to access this information.
• Any public or private entity can accept the Aadhaar number as a proof of identity of the Aadhaar number holder, for any purpose.
• Aadhaar number cannot be a proof of citizenship or domicile.

Most important role in the Aadhaar card in played by Unique Identification(UID) authority. The UID authority will consist of a chairperson, two part-time members and a chief executive officer. The chairperson and members are required to have experience of at least ten years in matters such as technology, governance, etc. Unique Identification(UID) authority plays a very important role in whole process of Aadhaar generation and its usage. UID authority will specify demographic and biometric information that needs to be collected before enrolment. UID authority will also authenticate Aadhaar numbers, and specify its usage for delivery of subsidies and services.

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