Assam to stop issuing Aadhaar to adults to curb fraudulent enrolment of ‘infiltrators’

The Assam government on Thursday said that it will stop issuing Aadhaar cards to adults in the state to curb the fraudulent enrolment of “infiltrators”.

However, the restriction will not apply to members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and tea garden communities for a window of one year.

Aadhaar is a unique 12-digit identity number issued to residents of India by a statutory body, the Unique Identification Authority of India.

In a press release, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s Public Relations Cell said that the state Cabinet had earlier in the day approved the implementation of a revised Standard Operating Procedure for Aadhaar enrolments in the state.

“The SOP is required to ensure that no infiltrators from across the border may get Aadhaar fraudulently,” the release said. “District Commissioners are authorised for allowing Aadhaar enrolment for citizens above 18 years of age in rarest of rare cases.”

The release added that the restriction would not apply for one year to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and tea garden communities, adding that the process for their enrolment for Aadhaars would be completed within that period.

Later in the day, Sarma told reporters that any individuals outside these groups who were yet to receive Aadhaar could apply for it by September. “We will keep a one-month window...

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