Dehradun: The ongoing demographic change in Uttarakhand is becoming a serious problem. In response, the state government is conducting verification of people from outside states living in the state. Large-scale verification campaigns have been conducted periodically when issues of demographic change arise in the state. Now, the Uttarakhand government is leveraging digital technology to ensure a better and more effective verification process. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed the Home Department to develop an app.
Chief Minister Dhami has taken a serious stance on the demographic change in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand and has asked the police to work towards making the verification process more effective. People coming to Uttarakhand from outside states have been evading the verification process. Furthermore, they are obtaining various documents, including Aadhaar cards, voter IDs, and ration cards, using fake documents, which is impacting Uttarakhand’s demographics. This is why CM Dhami has instructed Home Secretary Shailesh Bagoli to tighten the verification process for outsiders working in the state and develop an app for easy deployment.
The process only gains momentum during the campaign.
In fact, in the plain districts, the police are often preoccupied with maintaining security and traffic. As a result, verification work has been limited to campaigns. Whenever verification campaigns begin, many people are apprehended. However, over time, the pace of the campaign slows down. Furthermore, during verification campaigns conducted in Dehradun and Haridwar recently, cases of the presence of Bangladeshi infiltrators were also revealed. Consequently, the Home Department has now directed the police administration to develop an application to simplify the verification process.
Maintaining verification records is essential.
The police and the government’s IT department are working together on this app to create a database of visitors. Currently, the police do not maintain any verification records. Because the verification process at various police stations and outposts is limited to a single register, the police headquarters has now begun requesting the information recorded in this register. It is expected that the app will be ready by the end of this month. Once the app is ready, a large-scale verification campaign will be conducted across the state to create a database of outsiders living in Uttarakhand.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stated that the state government is making efforts to preserve the culture of Devbhoomi. Verification has been made mandatory to determine the nature of people coming from outside cities. To minimize the time consuming verification process, the Home Department has been asked to utilize modern technology.
