Sivasagar (Assam) [India], June 29 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday announced an exception for tea garden workers in the state's new Aadhaar card issuance policy, aiming to address the challenges faced by this community while maintaining stringent measures against illegal immigration.
Speaking during a review visit to the Rang Ghar beautification project in Sivasagar, Sarma detailed the policy, which requires adult applicants to obtain Aadhaar cards only after satisfying the District Commissioner, except for tea garden workers, among whom nearly 50,000 adults are yet to be enrolled.
"Almost the entire adult population has obtained an Aadhaar Card. So, if any adult population in Assam requests an Aadhaar Card now, it raises questions. Henceforth, for adults, Aadhaar will be issued only after the satisfaction of the District Commissioner... We have made an exception for tea garden workers because almost 50,000 adults in that sector have yet to obtain their Aadhaar. We want to doubly ensure that any adult person asking for Aadhaar is genuinely an Indian citizen," Sarma stated.
The policy, part of a broader strategy to detect illegal immigrants, reflects the Assam government's ongoing efforts to regulate citizenship and identity documentation.
"We are adopting a multi-pronged strategy to detect illegal immigrants - regulating Aadhaar issuance via DCs is just one step we are taking in this direction," Sarma elaborated on a post on X on Sunday.
Earlier on Friday, to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining Aadhaar cards, the Assam government decided to implement a rule whereby Aadhaar cards for adults will only be issued by District Commissioners (DCs).
The move comes as part of the government's ongoing efforts to tighten security and prevent illegal infiltration in the state.
CM Sarma made the announcement following a state cabinet meeting that discussed the new measures, further stating that the decision to tighten Aadhaar issuance rules would aid the state government's efforts to safeguard its demographic profile.
"Last night, we pushed back 20 more Bangladeshis as part of our ongoing efforts to detect and push back illegal infiltrators. Very soon, we will implement a decision where Aadhaar cards for adult citizens will be issued only by DCs. This will ensure that no illegal immigrant can get an Aadhaar made and we can track and push them back easily," Himanta Biswa Sarma said.