LG asks Delhi govt to make Aadhaar registrations ‘foolproof’, warns of national security concerns

Lt Governor VK Saxena has asked the Delhi government to make Aadhaar registrations in the national capital “foolproof”, saying illegal migrants obtaining the document has wider national security ramifications, officials said on Friday.

It has come to the attention of the Lt Governor that in several instances, illegal immigrants have managed to secure an Aadhaar card on the basis of “false documentation or misrepresentation”, Ashish Kundra, principal secretary to LG, said in a letter to the Delhi chief secretary.

This has a “cascading” effect as some individuals secure other documents (passport and voter identity cards) which establish nationality and avail benefits under various government schemes and impact employment opportunities meant for locals, noted the letter.

“This also has wider ramifications for national security,” the letter from the LG office said.

A fresh look at the responsibilities assigned to Registrars under the Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, 2016, in the Delhi government, is required with respect to field-level implementation, monitoring and verification procedures, the letter said.

“The Lt Governor has directed that clear instructions be issued to all Registrars to strictly comply with the provisions of the Aadhaar (Enrolment and Update) Regulations, 2016 and switch to an in-house model of Aadhaar enrolment within two months,” it said.

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Divisional commissioner should also supervise a monthly audit exercise to make sure there are no loopholes, it added further.

Details of all the enrolment centres set up by the state government including municipal bodies, may be put up alongwith the current mode of functioning by July 15, the LG directed further.

Aadhaar Enrolment is an “extremely sensitive exercise” and it’s vital to fix the responsibility of the person gathering data before issuing Aadhaar, so that accountability can be fixed in case of lapses, the letter noted.