Manipur adopts highly stringent norms for Aadhaar issuance

Imphal, July 1 (IANS) Manipur adopted highly stringent norms for Aadhaar issuance to ensure that no illegal foreigners will obtain the Aadhaar, an official said on Tuesday.

Commissioner (Home) N. Ashok Kumar said on Tuesday that the high-quality checks and scrutiny process ensure that no illegal foreigners are able to obtain the Aadhaar.

He said that Manipur has adopted one of the most stringent processes to issue adult Aadhaar in the country. The process is based on the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India), based guidelines, and the rigorous scrutiny in Manipur ensures that approval is granted only after detailed verification of Aadhaar applications.

This was informed at a high-level meeting held at Raj Bhawan on Tuesday, in which Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla reviewed the Aadhaar enrolment, up-dation, and related services in the state.

Besides Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh, Commissioner (Home), senior officers from the Home Department, UIDAI, Social Welfare and Education Departments attended the meeting.

Ashok Kumar, in a statement, said that it was also noted that each case of adult Aadhaar has to be mandatorily scrutinised and approved only at the level of the state headquarters in the office of the Special Secretary Home.

One of the UIDAI officials present in the meeting observed that Manipur's adult Aadhaar process is perhaps the most stringent in the country. To maintain the security and integrity of the Aadhaar ecosystem, two mandatory updates have been implemented for biometric and biographic data -- Mandatory Biometric Updation-1 (MBU-1) between the ages of 5-7, and MBU-2 after reaching age 15, to keep Aadhaar active. These mandatory updates are done without any charges to the individuals.

These processes ensure that Aadhaar cardholders' information remains current and secure, preventing misuse of identity.

Updating biometric data enhances security and provides seamless access to government and financial services without authentication issues, the statement said.

Amid the ethnic violence in Manipur for over two years, the illegal immigration issue is a major concern in the northeastern state. Three leading Meitei-based Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) during their meeting with the MHA officials in New Delhi on Monday demanded to introduce the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur to identify illegal immigrants and protect indigenous people.

--IANS

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