MHA seeks ₹4k-cr to update population list

NEWDELHI: The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has approached the Union cabinet, seeking about ~4000 crore to update the National Population of Register (NPR).

NPR is a verified data of all Indian residents, linking the 12-digit biometric-based unique identification number, Aadhaar, with demographic data collected by Census enumerators.

In addition, the MHA has also asked for another ~9000 crore for the two-phased Census 2021 that begins next year, a senior ministry official who did not want to be named said. The House-listing – or the first phase of the Census 2021 – and the updating of the National Population Register (NPR) will run parallel.

Last Wednesday, Union home minister Amit Shah told Parliament that the government was determined to implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country.

He also told Parliament a fresh NRC exercise will also be carried out in Assam. Shah told Parliament, “It (NRC) is applicable to everyone. This law does not differentiate between people on religious lines,” he said.

Opposition political parties, especially the Trinamool Congress,

have opposed the implementation of NRC in West Bengal.

NPR, the database of 1.3 billion Indians, which will be ultimately used to ascertain the citizenship of Indians and issue citizenship cards, will be updated with individual Aadhaar, passport, driving licenses, mobile numbers and voter identity cards, among other documents, along with Census 2021.

This is second the time that the database will be updated.

About 15 additional data points per persons are being added on to the already 20-point database of NPR, a second senior official who did not want to be named said.

“Disclosing Aadhaar, passport, driving licence will be voluntary and up to the individual. It is not mandatory to give these data.”

In recently concluded NRC in Assam carried out under the supervision of the Supreme Court of India, a family-tree and documents supporting the lineage were used to ascertain whether an individual was an Indian citizen or not.

Initial discussions indicate the countrywide NRC will use any of the 35 data points of the individual tallied with documents of the parents, to decide on the validity of the citizenship.