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Assam govt halts Aadhaar cards for adults, except SC, ST, and tea garden communities, citing illegal immigration concerns and 103 percent Aadhaar saturation.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. (PTI)
The Assam Cabinet on Thursday announced that Aadhaar cards will no longer be issued to adults in the state, except members belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, and tea garden communities, who will be granted an additional one-year window.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the decision following the cabinet meeting in the afternoon. He said that this decision has been taken in light of the state achieving Aadhaar saturation and as a “safeguard” against illegal immigrants accessing the document.
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Sarma said that Assam has 103% Aadhaar saturation, but that this is at 96% among the SC, ST and tea garden communities.
“We have taken this decision because, particularly in the last year, we are continuously apprehending Bangladeshis entering the country at the border. Yesterday, too, we pushed back seven of them. But we are not sure if we have been able to catch all of them. So we want to create a protection so that no one can enter Assam illegally and take an Aadhaar and live as Indian citizens. We want to completely close that door,” he said.
“If someone is left behind for whatever reason, even after one year, they will have to apply to the relevant DC, and the DC will consult all stakeholders, like the Superintendent of Police, Foreigners Tribunal and will be able to give it in the rarest of rare cases,” he said.
Guwahati | Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says, ” Assam cabinet has today decided that Aadhaar card will not be issued for pesons above 18 years of age, except ST, SC and Tea garden workers, for another one year. If any person from other caste who is yet to get Aadhaar card, they… pic.twitter.com/75D8f79Nm4— ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2025
Last month, after a cabinet meeting, Sarma had announced that the government was considering a policy under which new Aadhaar cards for adults in the state would be issued only through Deputy Commissioners. He said the move was aimed at preventing “infiltrators” from obtaining the document.
Currently, Aadhaar applications are submitted at designated centres, after which verification is carried out at the district level by ADCs or Circle Officers to confirm the applicant’s residence in that district.
- Location :
Assam, India, India
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