Amravati: Even as protests have been going on across the country against the National Population Register (NPR), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Centre’s controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Andhra Pradesh government has decided to carry out National Population Register (NPR) updation exercise between April and September this year.
The Government Order (GO) issued by Principal Secretary Shashi Bhushan Kumar to all District Collectors, Principal Census Officers and Municipal Commissioners, stated that the NPR exercise had to be carried out for a period of 45 days as part of the Census of India 2021.
In view of a number of apprehensions and doubts being expressed in various quarters with respect to the conduct of NPR exercise it has been clarified that no document is required to be submitted. Enumerators have been asked to just record whatever answers are given by the people and not to press for any further answers to any query if they do not intend to give and also not to ask for any document.
The GO further stated: “All the officials involved in NPR exercise, from the enumerators onwards, are being trained to the effect that there is no requirement of submission of any document by the people during the NPR exercise nor is there any requirement to insist on answers to any query if people do not intend to answer.” The News Minute reported.
It must be recalled that the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had said in December last year, that his state would not support the Centre’s National Register of Citizens (NRC). Incidentally, NPR is seen as the basis for NRC. Congress leader P Chidambaram claimed that NPR is nothing but NRC in disguise.
So far West Bengal and Kerala have declared that NPR will not be implemented in the states.