After a five-year wait, over 9.35 lakh people in Assam will finally receive their Aadhaar cards. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the Centre has decided to unfreeze the biometrics of these individuals, which had been blocked by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) from February to August 2019. The blocking was initially linked to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process, but Sarma clarified that there was no direct correlation between the two. The decision will provide relief to those who were denied Aadhaar cards and, as a result, faced difficulties accessing essential services like ration cards and scholarships.
The biometric freeze had affected people across all communities, including some who were listed in the final NRC. The Assam government, acknowledging the hardships faced by these individuals, formed a cabinet sub-committee to address the issue. Discussions with state organizations revealed that there was no objection to these individuals receiving Aadhaar cards, as it did not directly relate to their NRC status. Following these discussions, the state government sought intervention from the Centre, leading to the recent directive from the UIDAI to issue the Aadhaar cards.
Chief Minister Sarma expressed gratitude to the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, for understanding the problem and helping to resolve the issue. He noted that the affected individuals would soon be able to collect their Aadhaar cards from the centers where they originally applied, marking the end of a prolonged struggle for basic identification and access to government services.
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