The Government on Tuesday informed Lok Sabha that no decision was taken on nationwide preparation of National Register of Citizens (NRC). The Government also made it clear that no document will be collected during the updation of the National Population Register (NPR) and providing Aadhaar number during the exercise is only voluntary
"Till now, the Government has not taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens at the national level," Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said replying to a written question in Lok sabha.
On December 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government has never discussed NRC since coming to power for the first time in 2014. It has been discussed neither in Parliament nor in the Cabinet, he added.
Rai also said an instruction manual for the updation of NPR 2020 for enumerators and supervisors has been prepared and the people will have to provide information for the NPR to the best of their knowledge and belief. "No document is to be collected during the updation of NPR," he said replying a written question.
The Minister also made it clear that during the NPR updation exercise, no verification will be done to find individuals whose citizenship is doubtful. The NPR exercise will be carried out across the country along with the house listing phase of the Census 2021 from April 1 to September 30, 2020.
"The NPR updation will be undertaken through house to house enumeration for collection of specified particulars relating to each family and individual. The respondent has to provide the information true to the best of his knowledge and belief. Aadhar Number is collected voluntarily," he said.
Rai said population register is a register containing details of persons usually residing in a village or rural area or town or ward or demarcated area within a ward in a town or urban area. "The NPR was first prepared in 2010 and updated in 2015. In pursuance of Sub-rule (4) of Rule 3 of the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003, framed under the
Citizenship Act,1955, central government decided to prepare and update the population register during April to September, 2020 throughout the country except Assam for collection of information relating to all persons usually residing in village or town," he said.