Aadhaar enrolment around 23.42%, Conrad informs House

A Correspondent

Shillong, April 20: Aadhaar enrolment in the State is around 23.42 percent, Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma informed the Meghalaya Assembly on Friday.

“Around 7, 56, 529 people have enrolled out of the 32, 30, 132 (projected 2017 population),” Conrad told the House.

Laying a statement relating to a call attention notice tabled by lone Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) legislator from North Shillong, Adelbert Nongrum, the Chief Minister said that the government in its endeavour to ensure that only citizens of Meghalaya are enrolled for Aadhaar in the State has insisted on furnishing EPIC, ID from Meghalaya in case if one does not have EPIC, writing from the Rangbah Shnong/Nokma/Headman certifying the genuineness of the enrollee and passport issued by the External Affairs Ministry.

The statement laid by the Chief Minister also stated that the Government of India has extended the deadline for providing Aadhaar to avail of various services under Section 7 of the Aadhaar Act by up to June 30, 2018.

The Chief Minister also said that the Supreme Court judgment of March 27, 2018 has refused to pass an interim order extending the deadline of March 31, 2018 for linking of Aadhaar with the government welfare schemes where benefits are transferred to citizens from the Consolidated Fund of India.

“Hence, the Supreme Court has allowed the government to link the 12-digit national biometric identifier number of the beneficiaries for transfer of benefits of schemes funded from this fund,” Conrad said.

However, the Chief Minister said that on March 14, this year, the Supreme Court in a ruling mentioned that the mandatory linking of bank accounts, mobile phones, passports, PAN card will stand extended ‘indefinitely’ till judgment on the pending petitions is pronounced.