UIDAI shifted to IT Ministry from Niti Aayog

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues Aadhaar <g data-gr-id="8">cards,</g> has been shifted to the administrative control of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology from Niti Aayog. The decision to shift UIDAI from Niti Aayog, which has replaced Planning Commission, has been taken keeping in mind the govt’s ambitious ‘Digital India’ programme as the Aadhaar numbers are being linked with several services, official sources said. The issuance of Aadhaar, started by the then United Progressive Alliance government, has come under the scrutiny of the SC which recently held that the card would not be mandatory for availing benefits of government’s welfare schemes.