New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS): The cabinet Tuesday approved a bill to give statutory status to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) which provides Aadhar numbers, an official source said.

"The bill gives statutory status to the UIADI and defines its powers and functions," the source said.

According to the source, the bill addresses the issues raised by a parliamentary panel on the Aadhar numbers and the UIDAI related to coverage of immigrants, safety of personal information and the security of the whole system.

The bill also clarifies that the cost of the entire project is Rs.12,400 crore against much higher figures being quoted in the media.

The National Identification Authority of India Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in December 2010 and referred to a parliamentary standing committee on finance, which submitted its report in December 2011.

The bill would now be taken up in the winter session of parliament Nov-Dec.