The government has notified the new Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, benefits and services) Act, 2016 which gives the numbers assigned by it a statutory backing for transfer of subsidies and benefits to people eligible for them. The Aadhaar Bill for this act was approved by Parliament on March 16. It was tabled in Parliament as money bill. The act will be used for all benefit that will be linked to consolidated fund of India.
Government in its notification has said that the new Aadhaar Act will provide for efficient, transparent, and targeted delivery of subsidies, benefits and services, the expenditure for which is incurred from the Consolidated Fund of India, to individuals residing in India through assigning of unique identity numbers to such individuals. It has provision that both centre and state government can use Aadhaar for disbursal for benefits and subsidies. The Act provides for statutory backing to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) by providing for establishment of the UIDAI consisting of a Chairperson (part time or full time) and two Members (part time).
However, those individuals to whom Aadhaar number has not been assigned, the Act said that they shall be offered alternate and viable means of identification for delivery of the subsidy, benefit or service. Furthermore, the Authority shall take special measures to issue Aadhaar number to women, children, senior citizens, persons with disability, unskilled and unorganized workers, nomadic tribes or to such other persons who do not have any permanent dwelling house and such other categories of individuals as may be specified by regulations.