New Delhi: The Central government is exploring the idea of amending the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, to bring it in line with the recently enacted Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.
Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has reportedly asked the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which administers Aadhaar, to identify and rectify discrepancies between the two legislations.
He stressed the importance of harmonising the Aadhaar Act once the rules under the DPDP Act are notified.
“When the Aadhaar Act was framed in 2016, India lacked a comprehensive data protection law. Now, with the DPDP Act in place, there’s a need to revisit Aadhaar’s legal structure to ensure alignment,” Vaishnaw said.
He emphasised that the revised framework should centre around user convenience and digital trust, minimising repeated consent requests and authentication hurdles.
The Union Minister further stated that the UIDAI should consider what a modern Aadhaar Act should contain “to keep the citizens at the centre, and make a difference in the lives of the millions of people using Aadhaar…Our biggest focus is on the poorest of poor and the middle classes, it is important to focus on them and bring changes in their lives.”
While Vaishnaw did not delve into specific provisions that may be at odds, data privacy experts have long raised concerns about overlapping areas such as consent, purpose limitation, data minimisation and the right to erasure.
However, as the government works toward finalising the DPDP rules, the planned harmonisation of the Aadhaar law could have far-reaching implications for digital governance, privacy rights and how identification systems operate in India’s digital ecosystem.
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