SHILLONG: Meghalaya People’s Committee on Aadhaar (MPCA) has petitioned Chief Minister Mukul Sangma not to make Aadhaar mandatory for citizens of the State.
In a letter addressed to the chief minister on Friday, MPCA reminded him of the interim order of the Supreme Court on Aadhaar which did not make the implementation of the system mandatory.
The MPCA said government officials and others were visiting villages with a missionary zeal for pushing enrolment and registration for the National Population Register (NPR) by using Aadhaar.
MPCA alleged that Aadhaar enrolment was being vigorously undertaken in a clandestine manner with threats which according to the Committee attracts contempt of court since the Supreme Court had insisted for limited usage of Aadhaar only especially on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Generation Scheme (MNREGS), Employees Provident Fund (EPF) scheme, pension scheme of Central and State Govt. employees, Public Distribution Scheme (PDS), LPG and kerosene. “That too, on a voluntary basis and not mandatory,” MPCA said.
The MPCA also referred to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh who urged a caution against certain clauses in the Bill as it could harm personal freedom since it gave ‘sweeping powers’ to the government on the grounds of national security. The Congress had already moved the Supreme Court against Aadhaar Bill.
