Guwahati, Aug 21 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that in a significant move aimed at preventing illegal infiltration in the state, the Assam Cabinet, on Thursday, approved a revised Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Aadhaar enrollment of citizens aged above 18 years.

Chief Minister Sarma told reporters that the focus of the state government is to stop illegal infiltration and this step was taken for this.

The SOP empowers District Commissioners to permit enrollment only in the “rarest of rare” cases, ensuring that no infiltrators can fraudulently obtain Aadhaar cards.

The Cabinet clarified that the restriction will not apply for one year to individuals from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and tea garden communities, so that all left-out members of these groups are covered within the period.

Officials said the decision was necessitated by concerns that cross-border infiltrators could misuse Aadhaar to gain access to welfare benefits and legal documents.

Apart from the Aadhaar directive, the Cabinet approved naming the four-lane flyover on Guwahati’s GNB Road as the Maharaj Prithu Flyover in honour of the historic ruler, with the state government saying it would inspire future generations.

The Cabinet also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for announcing an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Guwahati, calling it a milestone for higher education and youth empowerment in the Northeast.

On the environment front, the Cabinet lauded the joint eviction drive in Rengma Reserve Forest at Uriamghat carried out along with the Nagaland government.

It also decided to launch a joint plantation drive in the evicted areas on August 23 in the presence of Assam Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary.

The Cabinet further approved the ceremonial distribution of sanction letters to 3,14,773 beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G) for the financial year 2025-26.

In the education sector, the state government cleared the nomination of NELCO Limited (TATA-NELCO) as a strategic partner with Samagra Shiksha Axom for implementing the 50 Hubs and 500 Spokes Model for skill education across Assam.

In the first phase, 10 Hubs and 70 Spokes will be set up, with TATA-NELCO providing 75 per cent of the funding and satellite communication support.

–IANS

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