GUWAHATI, June 27: The Assam government is mulling stricter Aadhaar card issuance rules for adults as part of its efforts to curb illegal immigration from Bangladesh, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday.
Toughened Aadhaar card issuance rules will also further boost the state government’s efforts in detecting and deporting illegal foreigners, he added.
The government is also planning to tighten guidelines for issuing late birth certificates, with district commissioners to be made the authority for allowing such documents in the future.
Related Posts:
“Today, we discussed a proposal where Aadhaar cards for adults will be issued only after thorough verification. The Cabinet will take a decision in this regard soon,” he said while addressing a press conference after chairing a Cabinet meeting.
Highlighting that nearly 100 per cent of adults in Assam already have Aadhaar cards, Sarma added, “If any adult applies for an Aadhaar card, we will conduct a thorough check. Only the District Commissioner will be authorised to approve its issuance once the new rules come into effect.”
“This will ensure that no illegal immigrant can obtain an Aadhaar card, and we can track and deport them easily,” he said.
He said eligible adult citizens who may have been left out of Aadhaar enrollment for various reasons will still have the opportunity to apply, with the Deputy Commissioner designated as the issuing authority.
Sarma added that a similar tightening of procedures for obtaining birth certificates at a later stage will also be implemented, with the DC designated as the issuing authority in such cases.
“There are many instances where a person applies for birth certificate years later, especially since it is becoming increasingly mandatory under various government rules. In such cases also, the DC will go through the claim,” he said.
The chief minister maintained that though the Aadhaar card is not a citizenship document per se, it is used widely for all official purposes like getting enlisted in the voter list, gas connection, opening bank account, etc.
“If we can block the Aadhaar card, we can stop issuance of other documents. We have no issue with foreigners staying legally for prolonged period and getting Aadhaar card. Our problem is with illegal foreigners,” he added.
Sarma also maintained that tightening of rules will help in its deportation efforts.
“Last night we deported 20 more Bangladeshis as part of our ongoing efforts to detect and push back illegal infiltrators. The decision to toughen Aadhaar issuance rules will only aid our efforts in this direction,” he added.
Among the decisions taken at the Cabinet meeting are approval for allotment of land under ‘Basundhara 3.0’ to various temples, ‘namghars’ (Vaishnavite place of worship), clubs, educational institutions and socio-cultural organisations.
The council of ministers also okayed the reservation of zilla parishad president and vice-president seats for women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe persons on basis of lottery.
The Cabinet gave its nod for amendment of existing provisions of autonomous councils for Moran and Matak communities, which will henceforth allow only people of these communities to vote in the council elections. (PTI)
