AgenciesNew Delhi: In a significant clarification in parliament, Home Minister Amit Shah today said no document would have to be submitted for the NPR or National Population Register and no one will be declared “D” (doubtful).
Replying to a discussion on the Delhi violence in the Rajya Sabha, Amit Shah said: “No document needs to be submitted. You can give whatever information you have and leave the other questions blank.”
As Congress leaders questioned whether “D” would be removed, the Home Minister replied: “No one needs to fear about NPR. No one will be marked doubtful in the updating process.”
Several states have refused to carry out the NPR exercise, which has seen by many to be a precursor to the controversial National Register for Citizens (NRC), which has provoked protests nationwide along with the citizenship law CAA.
Those objecting to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), NRC and NPR believe that a combination of the three will be used to leave thousands of Muslims stateless.
The NPR was carried out in 2010 as part of the census; the latest forms have fueled massive anger and concern because of additions like a question on one’s parents’ place of birth.
There was also fear over reports that if people did not give answers to the NPR questions, houses would be marked “D”.
The usual questions are on type of house, number of family members, source of electricity, whether the family has access to a toilet, the type of toilet, wastewater outlet, availability of bathing facility, availability of kitchen and LPG/PNG connection and main fuel used for cooking.
In the 2020 NPR, there are eight additional data fields that ask for the parents’ birthplace and date of birth, a person’s present and permanent address, mother tongue and nationality.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Kashmir Monitor staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Discover more from The Kashmir Monitor
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
