Aadhar bill passed in Lok Sabha but amendments rejected in Rajya Sabha

Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Aadhar Bill by rejecting the amendments proposed by the Rajya Sabha. The Lok Sabha was then adjourned till April 25. The bill to give statutory backing to the unique identity number scheme for better targetting of subsidies was returned by Rajya Sabha to the Lok Sabha with several amendments, with Opposition parties also objecting strongly to treating it as a money bill. The return of the bill saw an animated debate over why it was brought as a money bill, with a number of opposition members also raising concern over privacy and national security on the biometric data of Indians so collected through the scheme.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Aadhar Bill was a money bill as it dealt with the way public money or subsidy will be distributed among the needy under various government schemes. Moving the Bill in Rajya Sabha, Jaitley said Parliament cannot abdicate its right to legislate just because the issue is pending in the Supreme Court.