The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has announced the temporary suspension of Aadhaar card issuance to persons over the age of 18, with exceptions to members of the Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), and workers in tea gardens. According to him, the move is a result of concerns on both the risk of border security and illegal immigrants using Aadhaar to falsely claim Indian citizenship.
“There has been constant pushback from the Bangladesh nationals along the border. We do not want to allow any illegal immigrants to come to Assam and get Aadhaar cards and declare themselves Indian citizens. That route is permanently shut down,” Sarma said after leading a state cabinet meeting
The chief minister made it clear that this will continuously be in effect until a year’s time, after which no adult except for the exceptions will be allowed to be enrolled in Aadhaar. However, Sarma said that with the month of September, a last chance would be provided to those people from other walks of life who have not yet obtained Aadhaar cards. During this one-month period, he added, already awaiting applicants will be able to finalise their enrolment prior to the commencement of the freeze.
There is a stricter process to be followed when Aadhaar enrols people above 18 years of age after September. Minimally, and in the rarest of cases, the approval of Aadhaar enrolment will be granted by the District Commissioner (DC). The DC will need to countercheck the account of the Special Branch and the Foreigners Tribunal before issuance of approval, Sarma added to emphasise the state policy.
The relocation is linked to Assam’s greater action to improve the security of the borders and the anti-demographic concerns that drive illegal immigration. Considering that Aadhaar is one of the essential identification papers, the state government is seeking to combat its misuse by bogus inhabitants and parity the interests of legitimate inhabitants.
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