The office of the Registrar General of India (RGI) is currently finalising the schedule and the questionnaire for the National Population Register (NPR). As of now, information regarding the expected commencement date of the first phase of Census 2021 remains unavailable. The first stage of Census 2021 and updating of the NPR were indefinitely postponed on 25th March 2020 due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Thirteen States and Union Territories have expressed their opposition to the NPR update, citing its connection with the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).
National Population Register: Definition and Purpose
The NPR is a database comprising a list of all usual residents in India. Its objective is to create a comprehensive identity database of individuals living within the country’s borders. For the purposes of the NPR, a ‘usual resident’ refers to anyone who has lived in a given place for six months or more and intends to reside there for another six months or more. The first collection of data for the NPR occurred in 2010, and it was subsequently updated in 2015. Data for the NPR is generated through a house-to-house enumeration during the “house-listing” phase of the census, which takes place every decade. The previous census took place in 2011, while the next one was slated for 2021.
Comparing NPR and Census: Objectives and Legal Bases
The census and the NPR differ in several key aspects. In terms of objectives, the census incorporates a detailed questionnaire (with 29 items in the 2011 version), purposed to gather various details about every individual. This includes age, sex, marital status, children, occupation, birthplace, mother tongue, religion, disability, and Scheduled Caste or Tribe status, if applicable. Conversely, the NPR collects basic demographic and biometric information.
The Census Act of 1948 legally backs the census, while the NPR is a mechanism outlined in a set of rules framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
The Relationship Between NPR and NRC
According to the Citizenship Rules outlined in 2003, the NPR is the first step towards creating the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) or the NRC. Section 14A, added to the Citizenship Act in 2004, mandates the compulsory registration of every Indian citizen and their receipt of a “national identity card”. This section also states that the Central government has the power to maintain a “National Register of Indian Citizens”.
Emerging Concerns Over NPR and NRC
Several states, including West Bengal and Rajasthan, have raised concerns over additional questions proposed for the updated NPR. These include “date and place of birth of father and mother, last place of residence and mother tongue”. The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, followed by a country-wide NRC, has caused fears that it may advantage non-Muslims excluded from the proposed citizens’ register, while Muslims will have to prove their citizenship.
Government’s Stand on NPR, NRC and CAA
The government has denied any connection between the CAA and the NRC. In a statement made to a parliamentary panel, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) acknowledged the necessity of updating the NPR to document changes due to birth, death and migration. They explained that while Aadhaar contains individual data, NPR holds family-wise data.
