Vaishnaw asks UIDAI to revise Aadhaar law to gel with personal data protection Act

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw addresses a Cabinet Briefing, in New Delhi on April 9, 2025
| Photo Credit: ANI

Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw asked the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to come up with a new law for Aadhaar that is compatible with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

Mr. Vaishnaw made the request at the Aadhaar Samvaad event on Tuesday, a clip of which he posted on X on Wednesday. 

“When the Aadhaar Act was passed [in 2016], there was no horizontal privacy law covering all sectors,” Mr. Vaishnaw said. “Now, we have the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and the rules for the Act are almost finalised. The rules will be notified soon. We have an indigenous, modern legal framework. Now we need to see how the Aadhaar law can be harmonised vis-à-vis the DPDP Act.” 

Notification soon

The DPDP Act lays out requirements for firms and government bodies to protect Indians’ personal data, and provides for penalties in case of data breaches or leaks. The draft rules to enforce the Act have not yet been notified; a draft is in final stages of consultation, and is likely to be notified in the coming weeks.

“That is a task I would request the UIDAI to take up in a major way going forward,” Mr. Vaishnaw said. The programme was attended by UIDAI officials and Aadhaar ecosystem partners. Mr. Vaishnaw also unveiled the look of the revamped Aadhaar mobile app, which will be rolled out to the public after testing.

Mr. Vaishnaw emphasised on public convenience as a priority for the new law. He said that the UIDAI should consider “what a modern Aadhaar Act should contain to keep the common citizen 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.”