'No NRC Application Number, No Aadhaar': Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's Big Announcement

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that four Assam districts have more Aadhaar card holders than the population and announced the government’s decision to not issue Aadhaar cards to people who had not applied to be a part of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in 2014. He cited examples of Dhubri, Barpeta and Morigaon districts, where he said total number of Aadhaar cards issued exceeds projected population.

Guwahati:Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswas Sarma announced on Saturday, September 7, that new applicants for Aadhaar Cards in the state will have to provide their NRC application receipt number (ARN) mandatorily. Four Assam districts have more Aadhar card holders than their projected population, the CM said on Saturday.

Barpeta, Dhubri (both in lower Assam), Morigaon and Nagaon (both in central Assam) have more Aadhar card holders than their projected population, the CM notified. "A detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) will be prepared for the purpose and this will be implemented from October 1," he added.

The CM said that one has to be an NRC applicant whether or not one made it to NRC. "You will not get an Aadhaar Card in Assam if you have not applied for NRC. We will minutely examine everything and make the process tough and stringent,” Sarma said.

Referring to the three Muslim-majority districts Barpeta, Dhubri Morigaon– he said that the percentage of Aadhaar cards issued against the projected population figures are 103 per cent, 103 per cent and 101 per cent respectively. The chances of suspected foreigners having access to Aadhaar cards in these districts cannot be ruled out.

We will also amplify efforts to identify and address illegal immigration in the state, the CM assured. "Over 9.35 lakh people, whose biometrics were blocked by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in 2019 would receive their Aadhaar cards within September. UIDAI will come up with the protocol in the next one to two days,” he added.