NRC Row: No Proposal For Nationwide National Register of Citizen Based on NPR Data, Says Government
There is no proposal for preparing nationwide National Register of Citizens or NRC on the basis of data to be collected during the updation of National Population Register (NPR), said the government on Tuesday.
New Delhi, December 24: There is no proposal for preparing nationwide National Register of Citizens or NRC on the basis of data to be collected during the updation of National Population Register (NPR), said the government on Tuesday. "Currently, there is no proposal to conduct nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC), on the basis of data collected through the National Population Register," news agency ANI quoted the government as saying.
Earlier today, the Union Cabinet approved a proposal for updation of the NPR. Addressing a press conference after the cabinet meeting, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar also clarified that the NPR will not be used for preparing the NRC. "We have never said that NPR (National Population Register) will be used as NRC. I completely deny," Javadekar said. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said that NRC was never discussed. NRC Likely to Follow CAA, All You Need to Know About Proposed Pan-India National Register of Citizenship.
The Union Cabinet approved the NPR amid the ongoing protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and NRC. As per the proposal, the exercise to update NPR would be held between April and September 2020 in all states and Union Territories. The motive behind the updation of NPR is to create a comprehensive database of the identity of common residents of the country ahead of the 2021 Census. Why Citizenship Amendment Act+NRC Raise Fear And Concerns: A Multi-Dimensional Take.
Critics say that the CAA, NPR and NRC are all connected. They are of the view that after NPR a nationwide NRC would be announced. The CAA gives Indian citizenship to all immigrants fleeing persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan - but not if they are Muslim. Critics see the newly-passed CAA through the prism of NRC. While non-Muslims left out of the NRC may be able to get citizenship under the CAA, Muslims who could not make the list may be deported.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 24, 2019 05:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).