Residents of Assam will now have to provide their NRC application receipt number (ARN) to get an Aadhaar card. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma announced Saturday that every new applicant for an Aadhaar card in the state will now have to mandatorily provide the application receipt number of their NRC.
The National Register of Citizens (NRC) refers to the register that records the names of all Indian citizens. It was mandated by the 2003 amendment of the Citizenship Act, 1955. Currently, Assam is the only state to have NRC.
The Assam government’s decision to mandate NRC application means those who did not apply for NRC in 2014 will not be eligible to get an Aadhaar card. The new mandate will be implemented from October 1.
“From October 1, the availability of Aadhaar cards in Assam will be a difficult test… We will issue a tough SOP in the next 10-15 days,” CM Sarma said.
Sarma said that the decision is aimed to curb the ‘influx of foreigners’ in the state. According to him, the number of applications for Aadhaar cards is greater than the projected population. Citing the examples of three Muslim-majority districts—Dhubri, Barpeta, and Morigaon—he said the difference leads to doubts in the genuineness of the applicants. Figures suggest that Aadhaar cards issued in these three districts have been significantly higher than the projected population, with 103% more in both Dhubri and Barpeta each and 101% more in Morigaon.
Going forward, the procedure of issuing the Aadhar cards in Assam will be very strict. With the new mandate, “it will not be easy to get Aadhar in Assam,” Sarma said.
Sarma, in the past, has made disparaging remarks against the minority community. Recently, he said that he will not let ‘Miya-Muslims’ take over Assam.
Talking about the changing demography of Assam, he said, “We have lost many districts. This is not a political issue for me. It is a matter of life and death for me.” This comment referred to the increase of Muslim population in the states as compared to Hindus.
He has also put an end to the 2-hour Namaz break on Fridays in Assam assembly claiming that it affects productivity.
Are there any exemptions to the NRC ARN mandate?
Although providing NRC ARN to get an Aadhaar card will be mandatory, there are exemptions for those whose biometrics were locked during the process. CM Sarma said that 955,000 people will be exempted from the compulsion of NRC ARN submission as their biometrics were locked during the NRC process.
Apart from them, residents in tea garden regions will also be exempt from some difficulties due to ongoing issues with Aadhaar card distribution in that community.
When did NRC process begin in Assam?
The process to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, which began in 2015, aimed to verify whether individuals had entered the state before March 24, 1971. Those found to have entered before this date were to be recognized as citizens. Applications were accepted between March and August 2015, with 3.3 crore people applying. The final NRC, published in August 2019, excluded 19 lakh applicants but has not yet been officially notified.
