Question : UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION AUTHORITY OF INDIA

(a) the mandate of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and the statute or law under which the UIDAI has been created;

(b) the sources from which UIDAI draw it’s legal powers to access personal records of India citizens held in a fiduciary capacity by different States and Central Government;

(c) the number of Central government organizations which have already given access to UIDAI to their respective data base containing personal information of citizens;

(d) the law or statute under which such access, if any, was given to the concerned agencies to part with this information;

(e) whether the consent of the concerned citizens was taken before their personal details were handed over to the UIDAI;

(f) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(g) whether it would be mandatory or voluntary for citizens to obtain a Unique Identification Number; and

(h) if so, the details thereof and if not, the manner in which it would be enforced in the absence of a statute?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI V.NARAYANASAMY)

(a) & (b): Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has been set up by a Government of India vide notification no. A-43011/02/2009-Admin I dated 28 January 2009. The mandate of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is to issue Unique Identification Number (UID) to all residents in India. A legislative framework to give statutory basis to UIDAI is under consideration.

(c) to (f): No database of any of the Central Government Organizations has been accessed yet.

(g) & (h): The facility of obtaining unique identification number would be available to all residents, on a voluntary basis.