The National Population Register (NPR) is a comprehensive database of all usual residents of the country, prepared by surveying households across the nation. The Ministry of Home Affairs recently emphasized the need for updating this information periodically to reflect changes in the population due to births, deaths, and migration.
A usual resident for NPR purposes is a person who has resided in a place for six months or more and plans to stay there for another half a year or longer. The first NPR was collected in 2010, updated in 2015, and its construction is mandated by the Citizenship Act 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
Significance of NPR
The NPR is crucial not just for creating an orderly dataset of residents but also for streamlining data across various platforms. For example, it can help iron out discrepancies like varied dates of birth on different government documents pertaining to the same individual. Therefore, the NPR helps in better policy formulation, improving national security, targeting government beneficiaries efficiently, and decreasing paperwork and red tape, much like Aadhaar. It also aids in implementing the concept of ‘One Identity Card,’ which seeks to consolidate duplicate documentations.
NPR and National Register of Citizens (NRC)
The NPR serves as a precursor to the creation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), an initiative that verifies citizenship status from the NPR list. Despite some similarities, the NRC and NPR are not identical as the latter includes foreigners who have been residing in a locality for over six months.
What is the National Register of Citizens?
The National Register of Citizens is a register compiled after the Census of 1951. It lists all houses or holdings sequentially, indicating the names and numbers of persons living therein. While this register was updated only in Assam recently, it has not been refreshed for the nation since 1951, although there are plans to do so.
Difference between NPR and Census
The Census is a detailed population survey that gathers extensive individual data such as age, sex, marital status, children, occupation, birthplace, mother tongue, religion, disability, and caste details. Conversely, the NPR primarily assembles basic demographic data and biometric particulars. While the former is backed by the Census Act, 1948, the latter comes under the purview of rules framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
Understanding the Citizenship Act, 1955
The Citizenship Act, 1955 offers various pathways to acquire Indian citizenship. These include citizenship by birth, descent, registration, naturalisation, and incorporation of the territory into India. The Act also governs the registration of Overseas Citizen of India Cardholders (OCIs) and their rights. OCIs have the privilege of a multiple-entry, multipurpose lifelong visa to visit India.
Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019 was introduced to modify the Citizenship Act, 1955. It grants citizenship based on religion to six non-Muslim communities—Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians—from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2014. This law exempts members of these six communities from prosecution under the Foreigners Act, 1946, and the Passport Act, 1920—laws that specify penalties for illegal entry and overstaying on expired visas and permits.
Examination Questions Regarding Population Trends and Government Initiatives
In previous civil service examinations, questions related to population density and growth rates have appeared. For example, the 2009 Prelims featured a question about the growth in the population of India between the Censuses of 1951 and 2001. Another query asked examinees to analyze the merits of running Aadhaar Card and NPR schemes simultaneously and their potential to achieve developmental benefits and equitable growth.
