New Delhi, Mar 17: A bill to give statutory backing to the unique identity number scheme for better targeting of subsidies was Wednesday passed in Paliament.
The Opposition parties in he Rajya Sabha (Upper House) had returned the bill to Lok Sabha ( Lower House) objecting strongly to treating it as a money bill.
The amendments to the Aadhar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other subsidies, benefits and services) Bill, 2016, moved by Congress leader and former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, were passed with a majority voting in favour.
The ruling BJP-led NDA does not have majority in the House.
Members of BSP, TMC and BJD also walked out of the House raising objections on several issues concerning the measure.
The process of 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.
Brushing aside the objections by the Opposition, 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.
