NPR-NRC-CAA

What is NPR?
The National Population Register (NPR) is a Register of usual residents of the country. It is being
prepared at the local (Village/sub-Town), sub-District, District, State and National level under
provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and issue of
National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003. It is mandatory for every usual resident of India to
register in the NPR. A usual resident is defined for the purposes of NPR as a person who has
resided in a local area for the past 6 months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area
for the next 6 months or more.
Is NPR related to NRC?
According to Prime Minister and Home Minister – No
Yet, the Government of India (Vaypayee regime) had made certain rules under the Citizenship
Amendment ACT, 2003 known as the Citizenship (Registration of citizens and Issue of National
identity cards) Rules, 2003.
Herein we can clearly see the word “Population register” used in the Citizenship Rules of 2003 and
the Process for the preparation of National Register for citizenship with the help of National
Population Register.

Let this be explained - the process and Juxtaposition of NPR and NRC:
Step 01: Government in the name of preparing NPR will ask the resident to register their
information with the official appointed for Preparation for Population register. At this stage they will
also ask for Mother’s and Father’s Place of Birth, Date of Birth, Residential Passport, Driving
Licence and Residents Aadhar (Which was earlier not the part of the programme).

Step 02: On the basis of recorded information under NPR. That information is been examined by
local Registrar.
Step 03: After Examination A list of “Doubtful Citizens” are made and those will be excluded from
the national Register for citizens.
Meaning thereby NPR is the Stepping stone of the super structure of NRC.
How is CAA related to NRC?
Now after understanding how NPR will be the Stepping stone for NRC it became very important to
understand how CAA is affecting the whole Process.

After Identifying the Doubtful citizens through NRC. Those so called “Infiltrators” (According to the
gov.) who are not able to prove their citizenship are supposed to be deported according to the Hon’ble
Home Minister (but no policy is yet been decided by the government).

Now let say 2 crore people are found to be illegal immigrant in the NRC exercise and 1.5 crore are
Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and 50 lakh muslims will be presumed that they came from Pakistan,
Bangladesh or Afghanishtan and had taken refugee over here.
In the above given situation if only NRC is under effect then whole 2 crore infiltrators will be sent to
detention centers and then thrown out of the country. But if CAA is there then those 1.5 Crore Hindu,
Sikhs, Buddhists will be presumed that they came from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanishtan will
be given citizenship and those 50 Lakhs Muslim will be termed Illegal immigrants will be detained
in detention center and then compelled to leave the country.

Moreover, It is the intention of Govt to send people to detention centres who will not be found as
genuine citizens of India after NRC is done. Detention centers in Assam have been built and people
are living there. News reports have found that several people have died. The living conditions in the
detention centers are ugly and bad. This can be seen by the experience of people who have spent time
in detention centers in Assam. What National register of citizens involves is deprivation of
fundamental rights of people that are available to them as citizens.

CAA and NRC are, therefore, problems having disastrous consequences for people.