Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday that, from October 1, people seeking Aadhaar cards in the State will have to face a stringent verification process.

Addressing a press conference at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati, the Assam Chief Minister said that several instances have come to light in which more than 100 per cent Aadhaar cards have been issued in several districts of the State against the projected population.

 “The data shows that 103.74 per cent Aadhaar cards were issued in Barpeta district against the projected population, 103.48 per cent in Dhubri district, 101.74 per cent in Morigaon district, and 100.86 per cent in Nagaon district. From October 1, except in the tea gardens, adult people of other districts will have to go through a stringent verification process to get Aadhaar cards,” Chief Minister Sarma said.

 This raises concern that suspected foreigners may have managed to get Aadhaar cards.

 He further said that the Assam government will issue a Standard Operating Procedure in the next 10 days and that people will have to submit the NRC application receipt number along with the Aadhaar application.

 “If you don’t apply for NRC, you will not get an Aadhaar card in the new process,” CM Sarma said.

The Assam CM said that this new verification process will not affect the 9.55 lakh individuals who were previously excluded from obtaining Aadhaar cards.

 He also said that, since the NRC updation process began in 2014, the process of identifying foreign nationals has stalled in the state and we now aim to intensify this process.

The Assam government on Saturday issued an office memorandum of intensification of efforts to detect illegal immigrants across the international borders of Assam.

 “The Inspector General of Police (Law & Order), Assam, will simultaneously issue detailed instructions to District Police units to provide necessary logistical support and security cover to the assigned teams. All wings of the Assam Police Border Organization are directed to prioritize the aforementioned tasks and submit monthly reports on the progress made and actions taken,” said the government office memorandum.

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