Assam Cabinet approves key decisions, including stricter Aadhar guidelines and land renewal fee waiver

Guwahati (Assam) [India], December 11 (ANI): The Assam Cabinet, during its meeting on Wednesday, announced several significant decisions aimed at enhancing governance and land administration in the state.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared the key outcomes on X, stating, "In today's meeting of the #AssamCabinet, we took key decisions."

In today's meeting of the #AssamCabinet, we took key decisions

✅️Stricter guidelines for issuance of Aadhar to ensure infiltrators do not secure them

✅️ This will be a new deterrence against illegal infiltration

✅️Waiver of renewal fee for institutions under MB 3.0 pic.twitter.com/wgc6Qq8TmQ

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) December 11, 2024

One of the major decisions was the approval of new Standard Operating Procedures (SoP) for Aadhaar enrolment in Assam to ensure the authenticity of applicants.
"To ensure the genuineness of Aadhaar applicants in Assam, Cabinet has accorded approval to the proposal for the implementation of new Standard Operating Procedure under 'State Government Portal' for Aadhaar Enrolment in Assam," an official statement shared by Sarma read.
The General Administration Department (GAD) will oversee the implementation of these guidelines. As per the new process, the state government will verify the documents submitted by applicants and forward them online to UIDAI within 45 days.
Additional District Commissioners will supervise verifications at the district level, while Circle Officers will handle verifications at the Revenue Circle level. Inspection officers will check whether applicants have applied for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam and verify their residency at the provided address. However, government officers serving in Assam will not be required to apply for NRC. These new guidelines aim to prevent illegal infiltration and enhance the credibility of the Aadhaar system in the state.
The Cabinet also addressed concerns faced by micro and small landholders regarding Khazana payments. To simplify the process, the Cabinet approved the continuation of manual payments of Khazana, allowing manual receipts instead of solely relying on the online payment system.
Simultaneously, the onboarding of Pattadars onto the e-Khazana portal will continue to facilitate land administration reforms.
In another move to simplify land ownership for public institutions, the Cabinet approved the waiver of renewal fees under the Societies Registration Act.
This waiver will apply to non-individual entities such as Namghars, religious institutions, and non-governmental educational institutions, enabling them to apply for land under Mission Basundhara 3.0. Additionally, the requirement for a Chartered Accountant certificate for auditing the last three years has been waived for these institutions.
These decisions are expected to streamline land administration processes and simplify application procedures for public institutions and landholders across Assam. (ANI)