Lakhs Cut Off From Welfare Schemes, Assam Says Wrote To Centre Twice
NDTV
Aadhaar cards are not considered proof of citizenship and can be given to any foreigner or NRI who has lived in India for more than 182 days.
With Assam's National Register of Citizens (NRC) stuck in limbo for close to three years, most of the 19 lakh people whose names were not included in the final draft published in August 2019, remain cut off from various welfare schemes, the state government acknowledged on Tuesday, saying it has raised the issue with the centre on at least two occasions.
The Assam government is pursuing with the centre the issue of non-issuance of Aadhaar cards to "many eligible people" whose biometric details were locked during the process of updating the NRC as the document is necessary for availing benefits of welfare schemes, the assembly was informed on Tuesday.
Over 27 lakh NRC applicants in the state had submitted their biometrics during the claims and objections phase of updating the NRC.
Out of them, names of 19 lakh applicants did not figure in the final draft due to problems in documents which they submitted to prove their citizenship, though the biometric data of all the 27 lakh people remains blocked as per a directive from the Supreme Court in November 2018. The NRC was updated under the direct monitoring of the Supreme Court.
