Kerala would stick to its stand that it would not update the National Population Register (NPR) at a national meet convened by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner in New Delhi on Friday to discuss the census and NPR operations.
K.R. Jyothilal, Principal Secretary, General Administration, will inform the meeting that any attempt to carry out the updation of the NPR in Kerala would lead to a law and order situation and it may even thwart the 2021 census operations. However, the position of the census authorities to the stand is yet to be known. The Kerala government had issued an order on December 20 last year suspending the updation of the register after The Hindu reported on the preparations that were under way in the State. Before Kerala, West Bengal government had said ‘no’ to the NPR. The Kerala government had communicated to all the Collectors, who are to act as Principal Census Officers, about the administrative decision regarding the NPR.
Kerala would communicate to the Central authorities about the widespread apprehensions prevailing in the State that the updation of the NPR would eventually lead to the preparation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The apprehension about the process gained strength after the Centre passing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, sources privy to the developments said.
Circular
Meanwhile, the government has issued a circular to District Collectors informing them that all proceedings for updating the National Population Register (NPR) have been put on hold. The communication issued by General Administration Principal Secretary K.R. Jyothilal said it had come to the notice of the government that certain census officials had mentioned the updating of the NPR in the files relating to the 2021 census. It warned that stern action would be taken against such officials if they were found to repeat this.
Last month, the government had decided in principle to put on hold all activities related to the NPR in the wake of apprehension that updating the NPR would eventually lead to the preparation of the National Register of Citizens.
