WATCH- NPR: The backdoor for NRC

Cabinet on Tuesday approved the expenditure of Rs 8,754.23 crore for the Census of India 2021 and Rs 3,941.35 crore for NPR.NPR that is to start from April 2020 is the first step towards NRC.

Home minister claims that their is no connection between NPR and NRC but the government strategy indicates that NPR would allow actual backdoor entry to NRC.

Contradictory to Amit Shah's claims,chapter 15 of the annual report of 2018-19 of his ministry,in point number 4, he himself said that NPR is the first step towards the creation of NRC.

On MHA website, the ministry wrote on NPR that India is in the process of setting up NPR. This is the first step towards the creation of NRC.

November 26, 2014, when Kiren Rijiju was minister, in a reply, he said NPR is the register of all usual residents which includes citizens and non-citizens as well. In another reply, he said NPR is the first step towards the creation of NRIC

Protests erupted in several parts of the country, over CAA and NRC, after which PM and Shah are continuously misleading the nation over NPR and NRC.

Government is denying NPR-NRC link but the fact remains that NPR will form the base of the NRC.

Section 14A of the Citizenship Act empowers the government to compulsorily register every citizen of India and issue an identity card and to maintain a ‘National Register of Indian Citizens”. The citizenship register is generated out of the NPR database

The Citizenship Rules, 2003, introduced the term ‘Population Register’ and said particulars collected in the population register shall be verified and scrutinised for the purpose of preparation and inclusion in the citizenship register. In other words, without NPR there can be no NRIC.

According to the 2003 rules,the Centre is also mandated to carry out a house-to-house enumeration and collection of particulars related to every individual and family, including citizenship status.

With Aadhaar being introduced and backed by an Act, which mandates linking of subsidies and welfare schemes to possessing an Aadhaar number, it may not be correct to argue that NPR is needed for efficient delivery of benefits any more.

After the protests against CAA and NRC throughout the country, the government now prepares for a backdoor entry to NRC.