In an effort to link the Aadhaar card with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Assam government has announced that applications for the identity card will be rejected if the applicant, or their family, has not applied for inclusion in the NRC.
The decision, announced following a Cabinet meeting, comes amid growing concerns over infiltration attempts by Bangladeshi citizens. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the state was strengthening its systems in light of such attempts.
“Scores of infiltrators have been nabbed by Assam Police, Tripura Police and the BSF in the last two months.
That is why infiltration from Bangladesh is a concern for us. We need to strengthen our system and that is why we decided to toughen the Aadhaar Card mechanism,” Sarma said during a press conference.
Under the new directive, the state’s General Administration Department will serve as the nodal agency for Aadhaar verification, with the Additional District Commissioner appointed to oversee the process in each district.
Sarma explained that after the initial application, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will forward it to the state government for verification.
“The local Circle Officer (CO) will first check if the applicant, or their parents or family, had applied for inclusion in the NRC,” Sarma added.
If no such application has been made, the Aadhaar request will be rejected, and a report will be sent to the Centre.
If an NRC application exists, the CO will conduct field-level verification in line with Supreme Court directives. Once fully satisfied, the Aadhaar request will be approved.
Sarma clarified that the new rule would not apply to central government employees who work outside Assam and did not apply for the NRC.
The Chief Minister further revealed that a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) had been approved by the Cabinet. According to this SOP, the Assam government will verify the submitted documents and return them to UIDAI within 45 days of receipt.
The final NRC, published on August 31, 2019, excluded 1.9 million people, while 311.2 million names were included from 33.03 million applicants.
Other decisions by Assam cabinet
In addition to the Aadhaar policy, the Assam Cabinet reintroduced the manual system of accepting land revenue due to challenges faced by small landholders with the online system.
The manual mode will now run alongside the digital platform.
The Cabinet also approved the waiver of renewal fees under the Societies Registration Act to ease applications for land allotment under the Mission Basundhara 3.0 scheme.
This decision is aimed at social institutions such as 'Namghar', religious establishments, and clubs. Furthermore, the requirement for a Chartered Accountant’s certificate for auditing the last three years has also been waived in such cases.
Launched in February, the third phase of ‘Mission Basundhara’ seeks to ease land rights rules for indigenous communities, facilitate land ownership for organisations, and provide solutions for land acquired from religious institutions.
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