Recently, the first phase of census and National Population Register (NPR) data collection work has been postponed till September 2022.
- Earlier this phase was scheduled to be held from April-September, 2020 but was postponed indefinitely due to the global pandemic.
- The census consists of a detailed questionnaire. In this, the details of each person including age, gender, place of birth, mother tongue, religion etc. are recorded.
- The basic demographic data and biometric details are collected under the National Population Register (NPR).
- NPR is a register of all the usual residents of the country, whether they are citizens of India or not.
- An “ordinary resident of the country” is one who has been residing in a local area for at least the last 6 months or is willing to reside in a particular place for the next 6 months.
- It is subject to the provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003. It is prepared at the local (village/city ward), sub-district, district, state and national level.
- The data collected under NPR is shared with the states. The central government uses this data for various welfare schemes at the individual level.
- According to the Citizenship Rules (2003), the first step towards compilation of six National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) or NRC.
Source – The Hindu
