Guwahati, March 14 -- Arunachal Pradesh has approved a family-based identification system aimed at streamlining public welfare distribution amid calls across the northeast for tighter control to eliminate non-citizens.

State Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein introduced the Arunachal Pradesh Arun Parivar Authority Bill on March 6, which the 60-member Assembly passed by voice vote on March 11.

The legislation introduces the Arun Parivar Patra (APP), a unique family identifier, and establishes the Arun Parivar Patra Authority to oversee its implementation.

Addressing concerns about government control raised by some MLAs, Mein explained that the APP would serve as a single-point identification system for families to access beneficiary sche...