No legal basis needed for Aadhaar: Montek

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Wednesday said no legal basis is needed for transferring benefits under government schemes to beneficiaries' bank accounts using the Aadhaar platform. Addressing a lecture, Ahluwalia also expressed hope that the rollout of electronic cash transfer will get a push after polls.

The government has tried to push the long-pending National Identification Authority of India Bill, 2010 to provide statutory status to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in the winter session of Parliament. However, it could not be taken up for discussion. The UIDAI, which issues the 12-digit Aadhaar number to residents of India, currently operates through an executive order.