The National Population Register (NPR) form used at the trial stage in September 2019, seeking details of the “place of birth of father and mother”, is likely to be finalised as the authorities did not receive any adverse feedback from a sample set of respondents.
Around 30 lakh people responded to the “pretest” form that was used to collect data in 74 districts. It sought details on 21 parameters, especially the “place of birth of father and mother, the last place of residence”, along with Aadhaar (optional), voter ID card, mobile phone and driving licence numbers.
The present NPR has a database of 119 crore residents.
“None of the respondents gave an adverse feedback. The final form is likely to remain the same,” the official said.
Another official said families will be informed in advance about the visit of an enumerator so that the documents of all individuals are readily available for verification.
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National Population Register data first collected in 2010, updated in 2015
“If there are 15 members in the family, the enumerators would give them a prior notice, so that documents of all are available when the field visit is undertaken. The enumerator will see the documents,” the official said.
The NPR training manual said the existing database would be updated by verifying the details of all respondents through house-to-house enumeration.
The NPR exercise conducted first in 2010 and subsequently updated in 2015, collected details on the following 15 parameters only — name of person, relationship to head of household, father’s name, mother’s name, spouse’s name (if married), sex, date of birth, marital status, place of birth, nationality (as declared), present address of usual residence, duration of stay at present address, permanent residential address, occupation/activity and educational qualification.
Along with census
The fresh NPR data will be conducted from April- September 2020 along with the decennial Census exercise.
West Bengal and Kerala have issued orders that they will not allow NPR in their States. Chief Ministers of other Congress-ruled States have also declined to update NPR amid apprehensions that it will be followed by the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Though the government has denied that there was any link between NPR and the NRC, the Rules inserted in 2003 to the Citizenship Act, 1955, clearly provides for the creation of NRC that will flow from data gathered in the NPR.
The Rules empower local officials to decide on a person’s citizenship status. The Assam-specific NRC, conducted under the supervision of Supreme Court, had excluded 19 lakh out of 3.29 crore residents. There are apprehensions that people will have to dig out old documents to prove their residency in India on the lines of the exercise conducted in Assam.
