MHA starts work on biometric work permit for illegal foreigners in Assam
Guwahati: The Ministry of Home Affairs has started working out a strategy to propagate the idea of issuing “biometric work permit” to all those who, out of 40 lakh, will be declared “illegal foreigners” in the ongoing process of updating the National Register of Citizens in Assam.
Disclosing that Home Ministry may also propose Assam like NRC in all the states of the country, security sources told Deccan Chronicle that successful publication of NRC in Assam has strengthened the confidence of the government. Pointing out that preparation of NRC was more challenging and complex in Assam due to the problem of influx, security sources said that publication of draft NRC has added to the confidence of the government.
Informing that political leadership has to take a call on implementing the NRC in all the states, sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs said that their immediate challenge is to take a decision on fate of those tagged as “illegal foreigners” in Assam.
Admitting that it was not possible to deport lakhs of people likely to be tagged as “illegal foreigners”, security sources said that Home Ministry was of view that it would also not be a practical solution to confine such huge number of people into the detention camps.
Asserting that “biometric work permit” may help in keeping track of such illegal foreigners, security sources said that Home Ministry is looking into all these aspects as Supreme Court may ask the government about their action plan to tackle the people declared as “illegal foreigners”.
Apart from disenfranchising them, security sources said that Home Ministry would also push for depriving them of the right to buy immovable property in the state.
Informing that Home Ministry was keeping a close watch on the situation in Assam, security sources said that there have been attempts to create law and order problem in the state after the publication of the final draft of the NRC.
Security sources said that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has taken up the issue of influx from Bangladesh with his counterpart in Dhaka, security sources said that even after being a friendly government, it was not possible to ask a sovereign country to take back lakhs of immigrants.
Referring that Bangladesh has recently taken back 52 immigrants deported from Assam, security sources said that Dhaka may not agree to accept the deportation of lakhs of people from India.
