The Mamata Banerjee government on Monday issued an order to put on hold all activities related to the update of the National Population Register (NPR), but said it would carry on with the Census 2021.
“The state government needs more clarity on the NPR. Like, we don’t know where the data would be used or for which purpose individual information is being collected. The Centre did not publish the data collected under the NPR in 2011 and 2015. Until the state government get clarity on these issues, the exercise would be kept in abeyance. The state would carry out the Census 2021,” said a senior Nabanna official.
Earlier, the state had issued an order to start training for enumerators who were supposed to carry out door-to-survey to collect data for Census 2021 and the update of the NPR, 2020. Several districts had started training for master trainers who were supposed to impart training to the grassroots level government employees or the enumerators.
But after the order issued on Monday, sources said, the master trainers would be asked to train the enumerators only to collect data for the Census.
The sources said the government changed the stance after the Joint Forum Against NRC and some Left parties had raised questions over the NPR, saying the exercise was the first step towards the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the country.
The forum comprises several rights organisations.
“After complaints had started coming in, the state government took a re-look at the provisions of the NPR. It was found that there was lack of clarity and so the process was put on hold for the time being or until the issues are clarified,” said another official.
The NPR is a register of “usual” residents of the country. A usual resident is a person who resided in a local area for the past six months or more. Besides, a person who intends to reside in that area for the next six months or more is also considered a usual resident. Under the NPR, biometric particulars are also collected.
“The main difference between the Census and the NPR is the biometric data. The Census does not include biometric details of a citizen. Besides, the NPR lays stress on the present address of a person while the Census is mostly based on the permanent address of a citizen,” said a senior official.
The Centre has been saying the update of the NPR is done under the provisions of Citizenship Act 1955, and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
Opposition parties argued that once the NPR was completed and published, it could be the base for preparing the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC), a pan-India version of the NRC. The fear, sources said, had deepened in the state after Union home minister Amit Shah repeatedly said the NRC would be implemented in the country.
“As of now, they (the BJP) cannot implement the NRC in the country as there is no law. But the way Amit Shah vowed to implement the NRC across the country, it appears the saffron party could move the Supreme Court seeking an order to implement it or get a legislation passed for the purpose,” said Trinamul Dumdum MP Sougata Roy.
Meanwhile, the state government has made it clear that it is not constructing any detention camp anywhere in the state. The CPM organised a rally in Newtown, alleging that the Mamata government was setting up two detention camps even though Trinamul was opposing the NRC-like exercise in the state.
