Assam Links NRC To Aadhaar Card Application; Know Why

Guwahati: Getting an Aadhaar card in Assam is set to get tougher as all new applicants need to fulfil an additional condition.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Saturday that National Register of Citizens (NRC) application receipt number will be required when applying for Aadhaar henceforth in the state.

Biswa Sarma said the move was aimed to deter ‘doubtful citizens’ from obtaining Aadhaar cards.

“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),” PTI quoted the Assam CM as saying.

“This will stop the influx of illegal foreigners,” Biswa Sarma said.

“The state government will be very strict in issuing Aadhaar cards. It will not be easy to get Aadhaar in Assam,” he stated.

Biswa Sarma added that submission of NRC application receipt number won’t be applicable for the 9.55 lakh people whose biometrics have already been locked during the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process.

“They will get their cards,” Biswa Sarma assured.

The Assam CM reiterated that his government will “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.”

Biswa Sarma has often spoken out about ‘demographic changes’ in the state, and promised a white paper on the issue.