The Assam government has decided to tighten the process of Aadhaar enrolment for adults, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announcing on Saturday that individuals above 18 years of age will no longer be issued the identity document through the regular process.
The decision, approved by the state cabinet, is aimed at preventing illegal immigrants from obtaining Aadhaar cards, Sarma said after a cabinet meeting in Guwahati on June 13.
Under the new mechanism, adults seeking Aadhaar enrolment will have to undergo additional scrutiny. District commissioners will be required to forward proposals to the state government in exceptional cases, following which the government will determine whether an applicant is eligible to receive the document.
Explaining the rationale behind the move, Sarma said Aadhaar enrolment in Assam has reached a saturation level. According to him, enrolment figures in some districts have exceeded the size of their populations.
“In some districts, it has crossed the 100 per cent mark, and we must ascertain who these people are who are taking the additional Aadhaar cards,” the chief minister said.
He maintained that the measure was intended to ensure that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants do not secure Aadhaar cards.
For the time being, members of Tea Tribe communities, Scheduled Tribes (STs), Scheduled Castes (SCs) and persons with disabilities will continue to be eligible for Aadhaar enrolment even after turning 18, as many among them are yet to obtain the document. However, Sarma said this exemption would end on April 1, 2027, after which Aadhaar cards would not be issued to any person above 18 years of age without the prescribed approval process.
Children below 18 years will continue to receive Aadhaar cards.
The announcement follows the state government’s longstanding push for stricter Aadhaar verification norms. Last year, Sarma had indicated that Assam was considering tighter rules for adult enrolment as part of efforts to check illegal immigration from Bangladesh. He had also stated on multiple occasions that Aadhaar issuance in the state would be subjected to stricter scrutiny.
The decision comes amid an ongoing debate over Aadhaar enrolment and citizenship verification in Assam. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court, while hearing a public interest litigation seeking directions to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to issue Aadhaar cards only to citizens up to six years of age, observed that such a restriction would require legislative intervention and amendments to the existing legal framework.
The petition was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The court observed that the petitioner should place the concerns before the government and other relevant stakeholders so that appropriate action could be considered.
The issue is particularly significant in Assam, where the biometrics of more than nine lakh people were locked during the process of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC). In 2022, a petition filed by former Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev sought the unlocking of these biometrics. The Centre subsequently allowed the biometrics to be unlocked in September 2024, enabling the affected individuals to obtain Aadhaar cards.
At the time, Sarma had said that the Union government had directed UIDAI to proceed with Aadhaar enrolment after concluding that there was “no correlation between inclusion of name in NRC and Aadhaar registration”.
Apart from the Aadhaar-related decision, the Assam cabinet approved the implementation framework for the VB-GRAM-G Act, which is scheduled to come into force from July 1. The chief minister said the scheme would have a budgetary allocation of Rs 2,000 crore and generate 125 days of wage employment in rural areas, while also focusing on the creation of durable public assets.
The cabinet also cleared the formation of the Guwahati Satellite Cities Development Authority (GSCDA), which will be responsible for planning, financing and developing satellite townships around Guwahati. The new authority will function within the jurisdiction of the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority.
In another administrative decision, the cabinet resolved that officers belonging to All India Services, including the IAS, will now require cabinet approval before being granted no-objection certificates for central or inter-state deputation.
Sarma also announced that the budget session of the Assam Legislative Assembly will commence on July 6. The date for the presentation of the state budget will be announced separately.
