Assam: No issuance of Aadhaar cards to those exceeding 18 yrs from Oct 1

Cabinet decisions

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The Assam government has decided not to issue fresh Aadhaar cards to people aged over 18 years from October 1 this year. Those who have no Aadhaar cards can apply throughout the month of September this year.

Explaining the rationale behind such a stringent measure, the Chief Minister said, "We have apprehended hundreds of Bangladeshis who entered Assam illegally for the past year and pushed them back. However, we're not sure if we could apprehend 100 per cent of the infiltrators. This measure will prevent Bangladeshi infiltrators from getting Aadhaar cards from Assam to claim themselves as Indians."

Disclosing this Cabinet decision before the media today, the Chief Minister said, "After October 1, 2025, no people above 18 years will get Aadhaar cards, barring the people belonging to SC, ST and Tea Tribes for whom the government has extended the deadline for one year. The portal for Aadhaar cards will remain open for those who have no Aadhaar cards throughout the month of September this year. Such people won't get Aadhaar cards after September this year. In the rarest of the rare cases, if anybody misses the September deadline, he or she can apply for an Aadhaar card directly to the district commissioner, who will verify the antecedents of the applicant thoroughly before issuing an Aadhaar card."

The Chief Minister said, "According to our own estimation, the issuance of Aadhaar cards in Assam exceeded the saturation point long ago. Around 102 per cent of people from the state have got Aadhaar cards. This fact has compelled us to take such a step. We've given the relaxation in the deadline for the people belonging to SC, ST and Tea Tribes, as around four per cent of each of these communities have not yet got Aadhaar cards. However, those below 18 years of age have no deadline to apply for Aadhaar cards."

The Cabinet took a resolution thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for IIM Guwahati.

The Chief Minister said, "When the Congress was in power at the Centre and in Assam, the Central Government decided to set up an IIM and an AIIMS in the Northeast. However, the then Congress government in Assam could not bring any of the two prestigious institutions to Assam. However, in his first term, Prime Minister Modi gave us the AIIMS, and the IIM in his third term."

The cabinet approved the signing of an MoU between NELCO and SSA (Samagra Shiksha, Assam) for the setting up of 50 hub and 500 spoke models for futuristic skill training. NELCO will bear 75 per cent and the Assam government will bear 25 per cent of the Rs 600-crore project.

The Cabinet thanked the Nagaland government for its support in the eviction drive at Uriamghat. On August 23 this year, Assam and Nagaland will jointly take out a plantation drive in the 12,000 bighas of land freed from encroachers.

The Cabinet has approved the ceremonial distribution of sanction letters to 3.14 lakh beneficiaries under PMAY-G sanctioned in the financial year 2024-25.

 Also Read: Assam: Tougher Aadhaar Regime on Cards, says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

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