Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday in his Independence Day address said the recently published draft of National Register of Citizen (NRC) for Assam was an 'instrument of safeguard' for genuine citizen in Assam.

"I am confident that the NRC, which has become the instrument to safeguard the interest of greater Assamese society, is able to create a positive atmosphere and it will also pave the way for realising the hopes and aspirations of the genuine Indian citizens," said the Assam CM.

"No illegal foreigner's name entered NRC list", added Sonowal.

Sonowal thanked the 55,000 government employees who made the NRC upgrading process a reality and the Assam Police for being able to maintain law and order in the state.

The CM said that his government is committed to make the state free of corruption, terrorism and illegal immigrants and to make Assam one of the top five states in the country.

Regarding the multi-crore cash-for-jobs scam, Sonowal said: "A total of 55 people have been arrested so far and the recruitment process has been made transparent."

Sonowal added that his government has taken stern steps to seal the Indo-Bangladesh border effectively to ensure that there is no fresh infiltration from across the border.