Guwahati: In a significant policy decision, the Assam Cabinet on Thursday approved restrictions on the issuance of new Aadhaar cards for citizens above 18 years of age. Exceptions have been made only for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and tea garden communities, who will get an additional year to enroll.
Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting at Kainadhara State Guest House, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the move was necessary after Assam recorded an Aadhaar saturation of 102%, higher than its actual population.
“This means more Aadhaar cards exist than the state’s population. To prevent misuse by infiltrators, we have decided that people above 18 will not be issued fresh Aadhaar cards. Only SC, ST, and tea garden communities are exempted, as Aadhaar penetration among them is just 96%,” Sarma explained.
The Chief Minister further said the order will take effect from October. Citizens outside the exempted groups have only until September to apply for Aadhaar. “After that, applications will be barred,” he added.
However, Sarma clarified that in “rarest of the rare cases,” Aadhaar may still be issued, subject to approval by the Deputy Commissioner (DC). The DC will take a decision only after consultation with the Foreigners’ Tribunal and the Special Branch, ensuring “strict scrutiny,” he said.
Linking the decision directly to Assam’s fight against illegal immigration, Sarma noted, “Just yesterday, we pushed back seven infiltrators at the border. We may not be able to push back all, but by closing Aadhaar enrollment, we are sending a strong deterrent signal that infiltrators cannot claim entitlements through Aadhaar.”
The Chief Minister also pointed out that many suspected illegal settlers had managed to acquire documents predating the 1971 cut-off under the Assam Accord, which later enabled them to be added to the voter rolls. He cautioned that unchecked settlement could trigger a demographic imbalance, warning that “if people of Assam do not recognize the threat now, the situation could become critical in the next two decades.”