NEW DELHI: In a move to target government welfare schemes and
subsidies on citizens of the country, the Union home ministry has asked
the Registrar General of India (RGI) to identify the 'citizens' and
'non-citizens' while preparing the National Population Register (NPR).
The NPR authorities will undertake a door-to-door verification exercise
across the country in this regard.
The citizens' register, to be called the National Register of Indian
Citizens, will serve as the database for national identity cards
carrying a unique national identity number for each citizen of the
country, besides other identification fields.
TOI has learnt that NPR authorities will carry out the nationwide
verification exercise to establish the citizenship of each and every
person on its population database. A list of 19 documents - including
birth certificate, death certificate, land records, school records -
have been identified for proof of citizenship.
READ ALSO: Rajnath hints at merger of NPR and Aadhaar
While stage 1 of the NPR project - creation of an electronic database
of residents - is over, the second stage, covering collection of
biometrics, is under way. The approval for the third stage, which will
now cover verification of citizenship, will be sought next. Once the
National Registration of Indian Citizens is prepared, a national
identity card will be issued to each citizen. As for non-citizen
residents of the country, there is a proposal to issue them resident
identity cards, which will be of a colour different from the national
identity cards held by citizens.
The go-ahead for creation of national register of Indian citizens
through linkages with birth and death registration and issuance of
national identity cards to all citizens came at a meeting on Wednesday
held by Union home minister Rajnath Singh to review the NPR scheme.
Singh's call for "taking the (NPR) project to its logical conclusion,
which is the creation of the National Register of Indian Citizens" is
being seen as a major indication that the proposed national identity
number, rather than Aadhar, would be the new basis for disbursal of
government benefits.
Sources indicated that Singh acknowledged the lacunae in the UPA's
flagship Aadhar scheme, particularly the fact that it envisaged issuance
of Aadhar number to all usual residents of the country, including
foreign nationals and illegal immigrants. This would entitle them to
benefits under schemes like MGNREGA and subsidies through direct cash
transfers.
Notwithstanding the panel's reservations, shared by then Union home
secretary and now BJP MP R K Singh, the UPA government promoted Aadhar
in a big way, even dividing the biometric collection exercise for
creation of NPR between UIDAI and RGI authorities.
Sources in the government indicated that UIDAI, which administers the
Aadhar scheme, may soon see its role diminished due to de-duplication,
even as NPR focuses on biometrics collection. The government will also
take a call on whether the existing Aadhar database is to be handed over
to the NPR authorities, which may then carry out an address
verification in line with its security norms.
The review meeting, during which RGI and Registrar General of Citizen
Registration C Chandramouli made a detailed presentation on the NPR
project and emphasized its importance for national security, saw Singh
appreciate the security features of NPR scheme vis-a-vis Aadhar.
Incidentally, this issue was earlier raised by a parliamentary standing
committee headed by senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, which criticized
the lack of any verification of address of Aadhar applicants and
"introduction" system for enrollment.
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