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The 2025 Census in India will include updating the National Population Register (NPR), which is the first step in creating the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC). The NRIC will be a list that identifies every Indian citizen. Its purpose is to distinguish between citizens and non-citizens, which will help improve national security, prevent identity fraud, and ensure government benefits are provided only to citizens.
The idea for the NRIC dates back to the 1951 Census but became more important after the 1999 Kargil War. It became clear that India needed a solid system to separate citizens from non-citizens. As a result, the Citizenship Act, 1955 was amended to require the registration of all Indian citizens under Section 14A. This law also allows the government to issue identity cards as proof of citizenship. Over time, smaller identity projects like the Multi-Purpose National Identity Card (MNIC) and fishermen identity cards were tested to prepare for this larger effort.
How Will the NRIC Be Created?
The process of creating the NRIC will happen in several steps:
- Data Collection: Information like name, age, gender, and place of residence will be gathered during the Census.
- Biometric Data: Biometric details (like fingerprints and iris scans) will be used to avoid duplicate records, drawing from the Aadhaar database.
- Public Review: People will be able to check the information collected about them, raise objections, and correct errors.
- Verification: Authorities will check the documents provided by people to confirm their citizenship.
- Final List and Identity Cards: A final list of citizens will be made, and official identity cards will be issued to all Indian citizens.
What is the Purpose of the NRIC?
The primary goal of the NRIC is to create a verified list of Indian citizens. This helps in improving national security by clearly identifying citizens. It also reduces fraud and ensures that only citizens receive government benefits. By distinguishing between citizens and non-citizens, the NRIC helps in maintaining an accurate record of the population.
How is NRIC Different from Aadhaar?
Many people ask why the NRIC is necessary when Aadhaar already exists. The difference lies in their purposes:
- Aadhaar is for all residents of India, regardless of whether they are citizens. It is used to verify identity and access services like banking and subsidies.
- NRIC is specifically for Indian citizens and serves as proof of citizenship. It requires documentation to verify citizenship, unlike Aadhaar, which does not require this.
Thus, while Aadhaar is inclusive of everyone in India, the NRIC focuses solely on verifying Indian citizens.
What Happened in Assam?
Assam is the only state where the National Register of Citizens (NRC) has been implemented. In 2019, the NRC was updated in Assam to identify illegal immigrants, particularly those from Bangladesh. However, this process faced many challenges. Many people, especially in rural areas, had difficulty proving their citizenship due to strict documentation requirements. As a result, many genuine citizens were excluded from the list. The NRC in Assam followed special rules under the Assam Accord, which were different from the nationwide NRIC plan.
The experience in Assam shows the difficulties of conducting such a large-scale process. It raised concerns about fairness and the risk of excluding eligible citizens.
Concerns About the NRIC
There are several concerns surrounding the NRIC initiative. One major issue is that many people, especially in rural and underprivileged areas, may not have the proper documents to prove their citizenship. This could result in eligible citizens being left out of the final list.
Another concern is the privacy of the data being collected. The government will collect sensitive personal and biometric information, which could be at risk of misuse or data leaks. Even though the Supreme Court has provided guidelines for data protection, there are still concerns about the security of this information.
The scale of the NRIC process is enormous, and ensuring that it is done correctly will be a major challenge. To avoid errors and exclusions, proper planning and clear communication will be essential.
What Should Citizens Do?
Citizens need to be proactive in the NRIC process. They should stay informed about the steps involved and ensure that their details are correct when the government opens the data for review. If any mistakes are found, citizens should take steps to correct them and provide the necessary documents to prove their citizenship.
For the NRIC to be successful, the government and the public must work together. It’s important that the process is transparent, fair, and that everyone’s privacy is protected. Citizens must actively participate to ensure that the NRIC is inclusive and accurate, so that it benefits the entire nation without excluding anyone unfairly.
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