Update: After the Cabinet meet was concluded today, the Press Trust of India (PTI) carried the news, “the Union Cabinet approved funds to the tune of over Rs 8,500 crore for the NPR exercise.” This story was carried out by many news websites including the Times of India. Later, the Press Information bureau (PIB) issued a press release which stated, “The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal for conducting Census of India 2021 at a cost of Rs. 8,754.23 crore and updation of National Population Register (NPR) at a cost of Rs. 3,941.35 crore,” which turns out to be the exact amount claimed by MHA in its recent winter session.
The National Population Register (NPR) which is being considered by many as the first step towards nationwide NRC, has received Cabinet approval today. Officials told PTI that the Cabinet has approved Rs 8500 crore for updating the NPR.
The MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) had, however, stated in the winter session that NPR will cost close to Rs. 4,000 crores and the expenses have, in a matter of 3 weeks more than doubled up!
NPR rejected
After West Bengal and Kerala, even Rajasthan state governments have stopped work related to the NPR exercise. These governments have decided to stay all NPR related activities considering the public apprehensions about conduct of NPR which would eventually lead to NRC.
NPR-NRC connect
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted on December 23 that NPR is the first step of NRC.Sabrang India had found that an archived website of india.gov.in., under the heading ‘National Population Register: My Identity My Pride’ stated that “The creation of the National Population Register (NPR) is the first step towards preparation of the NRIC (National Register of Indian Citizens)” or the commonly known NRC.
What is new about NPR 2020?
Although government claims that NPR was conducted in 2010 as well and hence, is a harmless exercise, The Indian Express had reported that the upcoming, and now approved, NPR ‘will require people to declare ‘date and place of birth of parents’ which was not asked in the earlier NPR — this holds significance in the context of the proposed nationwide NRC.’
The image below contains details sought under NPR 2010 conducted by the UPA government:
The ‘date and place of birth of parents’ is the new information sought under NPR 2020. This is in lines with requirements under section 3 of the Citizenship Act, which details out clauses for providing ‘citizenship by birth’. Hence, it can be said that NPR is the first list or the basis for a nation-wide NRC.
Sabrang India reported that the gazette notification related to NPR was notified on July 31, 2019 which was found missing from the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs). The notification can be read here. The notification stated that the government has decided to update the NPR for the whole country except Assam and filed work for house to house enumeration for collection of information relating to all persons who are usually residing within the jurisdiction of Local Registrar shall eb undertaken between April 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020.
The government has still not taken a stand about what is so different between NPR and census. Census is also a measure of the population of the country, if any new detail is to be sought, the same can be incorporated in the Census itself, then why the NPR?
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