New Delhi, February 4: Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah on Tuesday informed the entire process of National Population Register in the parliament during the Question Hour. He informed the house that NPR will not segregate doubtful voters and the government would not collect any document during updation. Shah even stated that people can submit their Aadhaar details only if they want, as the provision has been made voluntary.
Answering the queries of fellow parliamentarians, the Union Home Minister informed that the respondents will have to provide information true to the best of their knowledge and belief. Adding more, he said that no documents would be collected during the updation of NPR. He also stated it clearly that Aadhaar would be vouluntary in that case. Earlier the Union government had already stated that the innumerators would visit the homes of people between April and September to collect the data for NPR. NRC: No Decision Taken to Prepare Nationwide National Register of Citizens Till Now, Government Tells Lok Sabha.
Making it clear the power to check documents will not be with the innumerators, Shah explained the entire process of updation of NPR. The MHA said that in the first step innumerators will reach people's house with the NPR form and then they would ask for the documents like driving license, Aadhaar or any other document. If anyone do not want to share the details or show the documents, the innumerators can not force the people to show it.
However, he made it clear that the infomation collected by the innumerator will be based on the declarations that is true and correct of their knowledge and belief. With this, MHA said that the government is assuming a sense of trust building with the people. The Centre is assuming the correct details that would innumerated by the innumerators during the NPR process.
Apart from this, while answering the third important question, Shah informed the House that 'at no point will the NPR be used in any way to look for doubtful voters and because the entire process is voulntary, because you can decide not to give your documents you cannot be categorised as doubtful voter'. Also he said that no decision has been taken on NRC or national-level NRC.
As many two states -- Kerala and West Bengal -- had cleared that they would not allow even the NPR updation to take place, Shah said that the Union Home Ministry is trying to bring the states on board. He also answered that the Centre is trying to convince the states as without their help NPR updation can not take place properly.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 04, 2020 02:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).