NPR disguised: Key difference that has raised concerns

In the last NPR, data was collected on 15 criteria. This time data on 21 points will be collected.The 6 new points added this time have made the new NPR unacceptable.

NPR requires people to declare "date and place of birth of both parents".This data was not collected for the National Population Register in 2010.

The new parameters clearly indicate the BJP government's intention to arrange backdoor entry for NRC.The new points have created controversy in context of citizens' list NRC to identify illegal migrants.

The NPR announced by the government requires people to declare "date and place of birth of both parents" for the first time.This data was not collected for the NPR in 2010.

Under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, for people born after 1987, at least one parent must be a citizen. The information about parent's place of birth is the key point for NRC and CAA.

Critics raised the possibility that the parents' date and place of birth would be needed if the nationwide NRC is carried out, as announced multiple times by Home Minister Amit Shah in parliament and outside.

In the last NPR, data was collected on 15 criteria. This time data on 21 points will be collected. These include last place of residence, passport number, Aadhaar ID, Voter ID card number, drivers' license number and mobile phone number, which were not asked before.

Parents' name and name of spouse have been crunched into one point to accommodate the new details.Most of this data was not collected in the last NPR exercise in 2010.

Govt has decided to update National Population Register (NPR) with a sanction of Rs 8,500 crores. The whole exercise this time is fundamentally different.

Former Union minister Ajay Maken, who oversaw the NPR exercise in 2010-11, said: “The government’s intention is to carry out NRC in the garb of NPR. It is a lie that they are only implementing the law made by the Congress."

"The biggest problem is the government’s intention, the trust deficit with the citizens. The government is not telling the truth.”-Ajay Maken

Amit Shah asserted that data for the NPR would not be used for NRC. He also said there was no talk of NRC right now.But the whole exercise indicates how NPR will be used as database for NRC.

Home Minister said that the NPR would be the basis for deciding beneficiaries of various government schemes but the Aadhar card is already present for the welfare schemes.

The addition of 6 new key points in NPR have raised concerns about government's dual policy.