National Register of Citizens

Why in news?

• Recently, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has detected large-scale anomalies in the updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

About National Register of Citizens:

• National Register of Citizens (NRC) is the register containing names of Indian citizens.
• The first NRC list was made in 1951 across India according to the census of that year.
• This is meant to decide who is a bona fide Indian citizen and those who fail to enlist in the register will be deemed illegal migrants
• In 2019, for the first time, an exercise to update NRC was carried out, But only in Assam.
• NRC updation in Assam was conducted as per the provisions of the Citizenship Rules, 2003 which was framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
• The task was undertaken by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner which functions within the Home Ministry

How was NRC updated?

• The NRC was updated to include the names of those persons (or their descendants) that appear in the NRC-1951, or in any of the Electoral Rolls up to the midnight of 24th March 1971.
• They could also prove their presence in Assam or in any part of India on or before 1971 using any of the 12 documents like passport, court records, tenancy record etc.
• Other institutional mechanisms such as Foreign Tribunals which have been established in Assam also have been accorded powers to determine citizenship.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Consider the following statements regarding “National Register of Citizens” (NRC):
1. The first NRC list was made across India in 1951

2. Recently NRC updation in Assam was conducted as per the provisions of the Citizenship Rules, 2003 which was framed under the Citizenship Act, 1955
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

                      C

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