New Delhi [India], July 12 : Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta called upon all political parties to rise above partisan lines and formulate a 'common minimum program' to collectively address the issue of illegal immigrants in the national capital.
His remarks came in response to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena's recent directive to the Chief Secretary, seeking stricter regulations for the issuance of Aadhaar cards in Delhi. The directive followed reports of a large number of Aadhaar cards being fraudulently obtained by illegal immigrants.
Speaking to ANI, the Delhi Assembly Speaker said, "This (illegal migrants) is a major problem in Delhi. To resolve it, all parties should come together and, rising above politics, create a common minimum program to address this issue collectively."
On Friday, the Principal Secretary to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena, wrote to the Chief Secretary of the Delhi government, urging the enforcement of stringent regulations regarding Aadhaar issuance in the national capital.
In a letter dated July 11, the Principal Secretary highlighted that the illegal immigrants have managed to secure an Aadhaar card on the basis of false documentation or misrepresentation, which, in turn, is adversely impacting local employment.
The letter further noted that illegal immigrants are also getting benefits under the welfare schemes of the Centre and State governments, once they get their Aadhar cards.
The LG secretariat has asked for strict enforcement by Registrars in issuing Aadhar Cards and directed them to switch to the in-house model of Aadhar enrollment within two months.
The Chief Secretary has also been asked to provide a comprehensive list of all Aadhar enrollment centres in the national capital by July 15.
The letter reads, "It has been brought to the attention of the Lt. Governor that during the course of Security Review Meetings, in several instances, illegal immigrants have managed to secure Aadhaar cards on the basis of false documentation or misrepresentation. This has a cascading impact wherein such individuals are able to secure documents which establish Nationality, i.e. Passport and Voter Identity Cards."
"They also end up availing benefits under Welfare Schemes administered by the Central and State Governments. Having secured Aadhaar documents, the illegal immigrants secure jobs, depressing local labour markets, and adversely impacting local employment. This also has wider ramifications for National Security," it added.
According to the letter, the Delhi government has not complied with UIDAI's directions to shift to an in-house model for Aadhaar enrollment by March 2023.