On Saturday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma unveiled a significant new policy: the state government will now require individuals to have applied for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in 2014 before they can receive an Aadhaar card.
Addressing the press, Sarma explained that this move is part of a broader initiative by the Assam government. He highlighted concerns in districts like Dhubri, Barpeta, and Morigaon, where the number of Aadhaar cards issued has reportedly surpassed the estimated population figures for these areas.
In these predominantly Muslim-majority districts, Aadhaar card issuance rates exceed the projected population figures, with Dhubri, Barpeta, and Morigaon showing rates of 103%, 103%, and 101% respectively. Sarma suggested that this discrepancy indicates that “suspected foreigners” might have obtained Aadhaar cards in these regions.
To address these concerns, the Assam government will soon implement a new standard operating procedure for Aadhaar card issuance. Under this protocol, applicants will be required to present their NRC application number, which was issued during the 2015 NRC application process.
The NRC updating process, which began in 2015, aimed to verify whether individuals had entered Assam before March 24, 1971. Those who were confirmed to be in the state before this date were included in the NRC as citizens, while those excluded faced adjudication by the state’s Foreigner Tribunal.
From March to August 2015, over 33 million people applied for the NRC, but the final list published in August 2019 excluded 1.9 million applicants. The final NRC has yet to be officially notified.
Sarma emphasized that Aadhaar cards will only be issued to those who were part of the NRC application process. “Whether an individual’s name is included or excluded from the NRC is a separate matter, but the individual must have been an applicant. If someone did not apply, it implies they were not in Assam prior to 2014. Starting October 1, obtaining an Aadhaar card in Assam will be challenging… We will introduce a stringent SOP within the next 10-15 days,” he stated. He also mentioned that the tea garden community would be exempt from certain complications, as the government is still working on issuing Aadhaar cards to many within this group.
Although the Central government issues Aadhaar cards, Sarma noted that it has delegated some discretion to the Assam government by requiring a no-objection certificate from the District Collector.
Leave a Reply