Aadhaar Amendment Bill, 2018



  • The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was introduced by the Minister of Law and Justice, and Electronics and Information Technology.
  • The Bill amends the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
  • The Aadhaar Act provides targeted delivery of subsidies and benefits to individuals residing in India by assigning them unique identity numbers, called Aadhaar numbers.


Features of the Bill


  • Offline verification: Offline verification means use of Aadhaar number to establish identity without authentication using biometric data or other electronic means. The Bill permits offline verification of Aadhaar number for identification purposes. As per the present Act, Aadhaar number without electronic authentication cannot be used to verify identity.
  • Virtual ID : The Bill changes definition of ‘aadhaar number’ to include ‘virtual ID’, in addition to the 12 digit number. The Virtual ID enables one to authenticate identity without providing aadhaar number.
  • High Court judge can order disclosure : The authority who can issue orders to disclose Aadhaar information is proposed to be changed as ‘High Court judge’ from ‘District Judge’ as per Section 33(1).
  • Right of hearing before disclosure order : The Bill states that the holder of the Aadhar number should be heard before issuing such order. The SC had read down Section 33(1) to include right of hearing for the Aadhaar number-holder.
  • Secretary authorised to order disclosure in the interest of national security: The authority competent to issue orders of disclosure of Aadhaar information in the interests of national security is proposed to be changed as “Secretary” from “Joint Secretary” as per Section 33(2). The SC had held that an officer above the rank of Joint Secretary should be taking such decisions.
  • No denial of services due to authentication failure: The Bill clarifies that failure in authentication of Aadhaar number due to old-age, sickness, or technical reasons should not result in denial of any service, benefit or subsidy. It states that alternate means to verify identity should be used in such cases

Location: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

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