Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday that new applicants applying for an Aadhar card in the state need to submit a National Register of Citizens (NRC) application receipt number (ARN).
Addressing a press conference, CM Sarma said, "Applications for Aadhaar cards are more than the population. It indicates that there are doubtful citizens and we have decided that new applicants will have to submit their NRC application receipt number (ARN)."
Sarma, highlighting concerns regarding Aadhaar card issuance, said, "Aadhaar cards have been issued to more people than the population in Dhubri district. It is possible that some suspected individuals received Aadhaar cards. Therefore, the Assam Government will issue a notification in the next 10 days stating that if one does not apply for NRC, they will not receive an Aadhaar card in the new process. This notification will not apply to tea garden areas. From October 1, adults in other districts will need to undergo a stricter process."
This will "stop the influx of illegal foreigners," and the state government will be ''very strict" in issuing Aadhaar cards, he said. "It will not be easy to get Aadhaar in Assam," Sarma said. Submission of the NRC application receipt number will not be applicable for the 9.55 lakh people whose biometrics were locked during the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process, and they will get their cards, he added.
Sarma also said his government would intensify the process of identification of illegal foreigners, as several Bangladeshis were apprehended in the last two months and handed over to the authorities of the neighbouring country.
"The detection process of foreigners was almost halted after the NRC update. In recent months, we've apprehended or repelled 20–30 individuals from Bangladesh. We have now mandated a rigorous approach to identify and address illegal immigrants," Sarma added.
According to reports, apart from Dhubri, Barpeta, Morigaon and Nagaon have more Aadhar applicants than the population of the designated area.
Earlier, Sarma announced that over 9.35 lakh people who have been deprived of Aadhaar cards will now be able to obtain them from their designated Aadhaar Kendras. This group of 9,35,682 individuals provided their biometrics for Aadhaar card issuance at centres that were also NRC (National Register of Citizens) centres between February and August 2019.
(Inputs from PTI)
