In view of the 21-day lockdown, the Union Home Ministry on Wednesday postponed the first phase of Census and National Population Register (NPR) updating process. The Home Ministry said that the population enumeration process is postponed till further orders.
“The Census 2021 was scheduled to be conducted in two phases, viz., (a) Phase I i.e. House listing & Housing Census during April-September, 2020 and (b) Phase II i.e. Population Enumeration during 9th to 28th February, 2021.The updation of NPR was also proposed to be done along with the Phase I of Census 2021 in all the States/UTs, except Assam.
“Keeping in view the above, the first phase of Census 2021 and updation of NPR, which was to begin on various dates decided by the State/UT governments beginning 1st April 2020 and various related field activities, are postponed until further orders,” said the Home Ministry in a statement. There has been continuing protests against the proposed NPR exercise, besides the Citizenship Amendment Act, both by some oppositions parties as also some Opposition-ruled States as it was being billed as a precursor to the Centre's National Register of Citizens (NRC) move, especially against the backdrop of some new queries being incorporated in it.