The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Sebi to probe within two months allegations of stock price manipulation by the Adani group and any lapses in regulatory disclosures, and also set up a panel to look into protection of Indian investors after a damning report by a US short seller wiped out more than USD 140 billion of the conglomerate's market value. The top court while directing the setting up of a six-member committee headed by former apex court judge Justice A M Sapre for the assessment of the extant regulatory framework and for making recommendations to strengthen the process said it was appropriate to set up such a panel of experts in order to "protect Indian investors against volatility of the kind which has been witnessed in the recent past". The court-appointed Justice Sapre panel, which will be provided assistance by the Centre and other statutory agencies including the Sebi chairperson, will have to submit its report in a sealed cover within two months, said the bench which comprised Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has enabled a feature that would allow anyone with an Aadhaar number to open a bank account, without any paperwork.
The concept of Aadhaar (the Hindi word for basis or foundation) has evolved since it was introduced in 2009.
The first set of unique identification numbers will be issued to the citizens within 12-18 months, high-profile IT expert Nandan Nilekani said soon after taking over as the head of the newly-created Unique Identification Database Authority of India (IDAI) on Thursday.
The ambitious project --which has issued unique identification numbers to more than 380 million people, which is large than the population of several large countries in just a few years -- would still take a few more years before every Indian resident is issued with this unique number and the card having the biometric information of the individual, Nilekani told a Washington audience.
It is aimed at curbing the menace of fake or duplicate PAN cards which are allotted by I-T department to taxpayers.
By bringing in service accessibility, the unique identification project will result in rural transformation, said Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Chairman, Nandan Nilekani on Thursday.
Govt's unique identification body still in search of a clear identity.
Once a star programme of the government, the UID has become everybody's favourite whipping boy.
Last September, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government chose Tembhli, a small village in the predominantly tribal Nandurbar district, to launch its ambitious Unique Identification (UID) project - now known as Aadhaar - giving it a special mention in history.
Social activists, legal researchers and academicians have demanded a nationwide public debate and discussion on the Centre's plan to issue an Unique Identification Number for Indians and its consequences.They have also questioned the claim of the Unique Identification Authority of India -- the nodal agency responsible for implementing the ambitious project -- that it will make every citizen, particularly the poor, visible to the state.
Infosys co-founder and Unique Identification Authority of India Chairman Nandan Nilekani, tipped to contest from Bangalore South on a Congress ticket, will be officially joining the ruling party on Sunday.
The Bill proposes to constitute a statutory authority to be called the National Identification Authority of India and lays down the powers and functions of the Authority, the framework for issuing unique identification numbers (aadhaar numbers), major penalties and other related matters through an Act of Parliament.
Also, UIDAI will roll out the gigantic scheme in one-and-a-half year's time and would cover 600 million people in five-and-a-half years.
The department of post has offered to include one-and-a-half-lakh post offices for this purpose initially.
The Unique Identification Database Authority of India has been under the media glare ever since its launch and ever since former Infosys honcho Nandan Nilekani took over the reins as its chairman.
Indian Railways hopes to offer better services to its passengers through the use of the unique identification 'Aadhaar' numbers - the authentication provided by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
People tend to think that online means access to information on the fly. But that does not mean that any individual can access the data, says Sunil Chandiramani.
The Trinamool Congress on Saturday promised to roll out a direct cash transfer scheme for women in Goa if it is voted to power in the state after the Assembly polls due in February next year.
The Unique Identification Authority of India, the apex agency managing the UID project, which aims to give every resident of the country a unique identity, has initiated the process to make this happen, according to chairman Nandan Nilekani.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys Technologies and Wipro were eliminated from the selection process for the project on technical grounds. Another IT major, HCL Technologies, was also rejected. The size of the project is not yet known.
He said so far only 3 million people have been covered in the country since the project was launched by the Centre.
With the first phase of Unique Identification Authority of India aiming to enrol 600 million residents of the country into its database in next four years and its possible use in improving the Public Distribution System, UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani on Friday said the journey will be 'long' and 'tough'.
Speaking at a function to release 'Annual Status of Education Report' of NGO Pratham, Nilekani said that UIDAI wants to use technology for better delivery in education.
The Income Tax department and the Unique Identification Authority of India have agreed "in-principle" to come together for rolling out PAN cards with unique 16 digit Aadhaar number.
The bank will join the UIDAI, an ambitious plan to provide unique identification number to all residents of the country, in collecting biometric and demographic details of its customers as well as others.
The Unique Identification Number will bring in mobility, choice, transparency and accountability at the doorsteps of the common man, UIDAI Chairman Nandan Nilekani has said.
Registrars would be appointed who would see the preparations and the implementation of the scheme for the cards at State level.
Attaching high priority to Unique Identification project, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said lack of identity proof results in harassment and denial of services to the poor and led to leakages in various government programmes.
The Government's ambitious unique identity project aiming to give a 16-digit number to all citizens of the country was renamed 'AADHAAR' and its new logo unveiled.
Officials said the website would work as an interface between the public and the office, with information on all developments being put up on the site on a regular basis, including committee reports and all important decisions taken.
The co-founder of Infosys said that they plan to start issuing UID number within 18 months time.
Microsoft, the world's largest software company, is keen to partner India in a project to issue unique identification to each citizen, its chairman Bill Gates said on Friday.
The statement by Nandan Nilekani that the ambitious Unique Identification card will be for all residents of India including non-citizens on Friday triggered a controversy with the Bharatiya Janata Party demanding a statement from the government.
The government has earmarked Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) to establish 'a comprehensive system of unique identity for the resident population of the country'. The project will focus on border areas with illegal immigration in mind. It will also facilitate speedy and efficient transactions between individuals and service providers.
The government on Friday proposed a nearly 16-fold increase at Rs 1,900 crore (Rs 19 billion) for Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) headed by Infosys founder Nandan Nilekani.
The Unique Identification Number scheme, which is expected to roll out the first number in 12-18 months, will be first conferred on the beneficiaries of the the centre's flagship programme under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
At least 60 crore people would get their Unique Identification Numbers (UIDs), a much-touted initiative of the government, in the next 4-5 years, its project chief Nandan Nilekani said.
Nilekani, who has been appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to head the National Authority for Unique Identity, has been in the news for providing a unique identification number to all Indians.
Computer would throw up a random 16-digit number and there is no way you can change it.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances