Source: India Today & Times of India
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister has approved the proposal for conducting the Census of India 2021 at a cost of Rs. 8,754.23 crore and updation of National Population Register (NPR) at a cost of Rs. 3,941.35 crore.
What is NPR?
NPR is a register of the usual residents of the country. It contains information collected at the local (village/sub-town), subdistrict, district, state and national level under provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
The National Population Register was created in 2010. The biometrics collected through Aadhaar were seeded into the NPR in 2015.
Purpose of NPR
NPR’s purpose is to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country. The database would contain demographic as well as biometric particulars. Aadhaar, mobile number, PAN, driving license, voter ID details, and Indian passport numbers are among the details that will be collected from all usual residents of India. Sharing of Aadhaar is voluntary in view of the Supreme Court ruling in this regard.
| Demographic Particulars The following demographic details of every individual are required for every usual resident: |
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Who is a usual resident of India under NPR?
A usual resident is defined, for the purposes of the NPR, as a person who has resided in a local area for the past six months or more, or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next six months.
The law compulsorily seeks to register every citizen of India and issue a national identity card.
The agency which will conduct NPR
The process of updating NPR will be carried out under the aegis of the Registrar General and ex-Officio Census Commissioner, India.
Documents to be produced during the NPR
During the NPR, a respondent will not require to produce any document. As per a statement was given by Home Minister to news agency ANI, NPR information will be self-attested, that is, whatever information is provided by the respondent will be deemed correct and no documents or biometric would be required.
When and Where the NPR will be conducted?
The process of collecting information for NPR will start in April 2020 and will be completed by September. NPR will be conducted across India, except Assam as the state has already gone through the National Register of Citizens. Gazette notification for the forthcoming NPR has been published by the central government in August.
Difference between NPR, Census, and NRC
| NPR | Census | NRC |
| NPR only contains demographic information, more details are required for census like information on demography, economic activity, literacy and education, and housing and household amenities besides others. | The decennial census is the largest single source of a variety of statistical information on different characteristics of the people of India. | National Register of Citizens is a database of Indian citizens. |
| National Population Register is a database of people living in India, citizens or not, | The census is the basis for reviewing the country’s progress in the past decade, monitoring the ongoing schemes of the government and plan for the future. | – |
| Documents: But in NPR, there is no need to provide any document. | – | Documents: The NRC process demands proof of citizenship from the respondents. Those who found in want of the proof may face deportation or detention in the long run. |
