Govt for strengthening Aadhaar framework

The government is looking to strengthen the Aadhaar infrastructure and would consider suggestions in that regard, according to finance minister Arun Jaitley. Speaking at the launch of a book -- Aadhaar: A Biometric History of India’s 12-Digit Revolution, by Shankkar Aiyar, visiting senior fellow, IDFC Institute, the finance minister said with advancing technology for beefing up privacy framework, the Aadhar system, which has been evolving, will also need adequate firewalls. However, he said “the larger public interest will always have to prevail over personal interests,” adding that “... the last word has not yet been said on this. Therefore, we would be open to any further improvements to strengthen this (Aadhaar framework).” Mr. Jaitley pointed out that in order to address concerns, the government had earlier brought out a legislative backing to the Aadhaar infrastructure.