National Register of Citizens of India

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) contains names of Indian citizens. The NRC was prepared in 1951,^[1][2] after the Census of 1951.^[3] It was prepared by recording particulars of all the persons enumerated during that Census and was further kept in the offices of Deputy Commissioners and Sub Divisional Officers according to instructions issued by the Government of India in 1951. Later these registers were transferred to the Police in the early 1960s.

The NRC Updation is currently going on (2014-2016) across the state and shall include the names of those persons (or their descendants) who appear in the NRC 1951, or in any of the Electoral Rolls ^[4] up to the midnight of 24th March 1971 ^[5] or in any one of the other admissible documents issued up to the midnight of 24th March 1971, which would prove their presence in Assam on or before 24 March 1971. The NRC (1951) and the Electoral Rolls up to the midnight of 24 March 1971 together are collectively called Legacy Data.^[6]

NRC Update

For inclusion in the updated NRC, there are two requirements - existence of a person’s name in Legacy Data or any one of the admissible documents issued up to midnight of 24 March 1971 and proving linkage with that person. Application Forms (family-wise) will have to be submitted for getting names included in the updated NRC. These Application Forms will be verified and based on the results of verification of particulars submitted; the updated NRC will be prepared. A draft NRC shall be published after the verification of the Application Forms to facilitate applicants with another opportunity to submit claims, objections, corrections etc., before publication of the final NRC.

Guidelines

Policy decisions, guidelines and funds for NRC updation are provided by the Central Government of India, but its implementation is done through the State Government machinery under the Registrar General of India^[7] who functions as the Registrar General of Citizen Registration under Rule 15 of Citizenship Rules, 2003 as amended in 2009 and 2010.

The provisions governing NRC updation in Assam are

1. The Citizenship Act, 1955 ^[8]
2. The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity cards) Rules, 2003. As amended by:

• G. S. R. 803(E), dated 9 November 2009 (with effect from 9/11/2009) ^[9]
• Ministry of Home Affairs (Office of Registrar General, India), Order No. S.O. 596(E), dated 15 March 2010, published in the Gazette of India, Extra, Part II. No. 504 S.3(ii), dated 16 March 2010 p. 1.)

The modalities for NRC updation have been developed jointly by the Government of Assam and the Government of India in adherence to these statutes.

Eligibility criteria for inclusion in NRC

• Persons whose names appear in NRC, 1951
• Persons whose names appear in any of the Electoral Rolls up to 24 March (midnight), 1971
• Descendants of the above-mentioned persons
• Persons who came to Assam on or after 1 January 1966 but before 25 March 1971 and registered themselves in accordance to the rules made by the Central Government with the Foreigners Registration Regional Officer (FRRO)^[10] and those who have not been declared as illegal migrants or foreigners by the authority
• Persons who are original inhabitants of Assam and their children & descendants, who are citizens of India (provided the citizenship of such persons is ascertained)
• ‘D’ voters can apply for inclusion of their names in the updated NRC. However, their names will. Be finally included only when the appropriate Foreigner Tribunal declares them as non-foreigners.
• All Indian Citizens including their children and descendants who have moved to Assam post 24 March 1971 would be eligible for inclusion in the updated NRC on adducing satisfactory proof of residence in any part of the country (outside Assam) as on 24 March 1971.
• Persons who can provide any one of the documents issued up to midnight of 24 March 1971 as mentioned in the list of documents admissible for citizenship.

List of admissible documents

There are two requirements for inclusion of names in updated NRC– First, a set of any one of the following documents of List A issued before midnight of 24 March 1971 where name of self or ancestor appears (to prove residence in Assam up to midnight of 24 March 1971).

• 1951 NRC
• Electoral Roll(s) up to 24 March 1971 (midnight)
• Land & Tenancy Records^[11]
• Citizenship Certificate
• Permanent Residential Certificate^[12]
• Refugee Registration Certificate^[13]
• Passport
• LIC
• Any Govt. issued License/Certificate
• Govt. Service/ Employment Certificate
• Bank/Post Office Accounts
• Birth Certificate^[14]
• Board/University Educational Certificate
• Court Records/Process

Further, two other documents viz (1) Circle Officer/GP Secretary Certificate in respect of married women migrating after marriage (can be of any year before or after 24 March (midnight) 1971), and (2) Ration Card issued up to the midnight of 24 March 1971 can be adduced as supporting documents. However, these two documents shall be accepted only if accompanied by any one of the documents listed above.

The Second requirement arises if any of the List A documents do not mention the name of the applicant himself/herself but that of an ancestor of the applicant. In such cases, the applicant will have to submit documents as in the given List to establish relationship with the ancestor whose name appears in List A. These documents shall have to be legally acceptable documents which clearly prove such relationship.

• Birth Certificate^[14]
• Land document ^[15]
• Board/University Certificate
• Bank/LIC/Post Office records
• Circle Officer/GP Secretary Certificate in case of married women
• Electoral Roll^[4]
• Any other legally acceptable document

Providing any one of the documents of any period up to midnight of 24 March 1971 will be enough to prove eligibility for inclusion in updated NRC.^[16] The last date for submission of filled application form is 31 August 2015.

NRC Seva Kendras

NRC Seva Kendras (NSK)^[17] are Help Desks set up in each district covering approximately 2,500 households by each NSK. The Seva Kendras assist the public in searching Legacy Data, issuing of Legacy Data Code, and in receipt of NRC Application forms. The Application Form can be submitted only in the designated NSK that covers applicant’s present address. The designated NSK shall receive Application Form only from the villages/wards earmarked under it. Officials of the designated NSK will visit the address given under "Present Address" to conduct verification of applications received from areas covered under that particular NSK only. It would be important for persons mentioned in the Application Form to be available at the time of the visit. It is also important to submit the Form only in the NSK that covers present address and not any other location.

Phases of NRC updation

Publication of legacy data

• The copies of NRC, 1951 and the copies of Electoral Rolls up to 1971 referred to as Legacy Data are available for inspection at NRC Seva Kendras (NSK) and at notified Polling Stations
• Quoting names of self or parents or ancestors appearing in any of the documents will be important to support the claim for inclusion in updated NRC
• Applicants will have to look for their own/parents’/ancestor’s names in the documents published at the designated NSK and Polling Station.^[18]
• Names of only those persons would ordinarily be available in the Legacy Data who would have been 21 years of age in 1971.
• On finding such records in the published copies, applicants would be required to record the unique combination of their entry as appearing in the stated documents by noting down the (1) Image ID (2) Sl No of the House No and/or Serial No within household^[19] and (3) the name of the person as recorded in the document.
• After recording such particulars the citizens can approach the officials at the NSK, who on receiving the recorded particulars would provide Legacy Data slip to the citizens containing a unique Code known as Legacy Data Code. This exercise shall be crucial as the citizens would be required to furnish the unique Legacy Data Code in the Application Form to support the claim of inclusion in updated NRC.

Distribution of application forms

Application Forms have been distributed house to house by Government functionaries and are also available at the NRC Seva Kendras (NSKs) & the NRC website. One Application Form per household is distributed, which has the provisions to provide details up to six (6) members.

Receipt of application forms

• The Head of the family (or any adult, in absence of head of family) can fill up the Application Form for self and all the members of the family including those who may not be presently residing in Assam or, may be residing in any other state of the country or outside the country. In case of minor or disabled person, the head of the family or the natural guardian/ legal guardian can apply on their behalf.
• For inmates of institutional homes, orphanages, home for mentally and physically handicapped persons, old age homes etc., the head of the institution will have to apply.
• Only photocopies of documents are needed to be enclosed. Originals shall be asked for during verification.
• All the applicants shall have to submit their forms only at the designated NRC Seva Kendra (online or via hard copy).

Verification

Verification consists of two parts:

• Office Verification: Validation of documents submitted as proof which is to be done during Application Form receipt phase as a part of office verification.
• Field Verification: Verification will be carried out in the field to establish identity of the applicants and their linkage to the quoted reference in the Legacy Data. All the officials involved would be carrying out their statutory functions of verification in a quasi judicial manner as per the provisions of The Citizenship Act, 1955,^[20] and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.^[21] The verification process would be carried out to identify applicants and authenticate the eligibility claims for inclusion in NRC.

Publication of draft NRC

The draft updated NRC will be published by the Government in all the villages/wards where the Application Forms were issued & received, and will be available for public viewing in NSKs & shall also be available in the website of www.nrcassam.nic.in shortly.

Receipt and disposal of claims and objections

The persons whose names do not appear in the Draft updated NRC, may file claim application within a stipulated period at the NSK where the Application Form was submitted.

A notice will be issued to every person filing claim to substantiate his/her claim. Such person may adduce relevant documents in support of his/her claim for consideration of Registration Officer. The officer in charge of the NSK, designated as Local Registrar of Citizens Registration (LRCR),^[22] shall dispose the claims after the claimant is duly heard by way of a speaking order.

A person may also have an objection against entry of any name in the draft NRC. The objections to entry of names of persons in the draft updated NRC can be filed before the LRCR against any entry, in a prescribed objection format. Submission of objections against inclusion of any name in the published draft NRC would require documentary evidence on the part of the objector which is found sufficient enough by the LRCR, a prima-facie case against the person objected will be established.

Any person can also apply for correction of his name or any other entry in his respect as appearing in the Draft updated NRC, he/ she can file correction application within a stipulated period before the LRCR Claims, & Objections or application for corrections shall be received at the LRCR offices in the same manner as the receipt of the original Application Forms.

In all such cases, disposal would be carried out by the LRCR by conducting a hearing after giving notice to the person filing the Claim or Objection or application for Correction.^[23]

Publication of final NRC

After completion of the Disposal of Claims and Objections, final registers at various levels, namely, Local Register of Citizens (LRC), Circle Register of Citizens (CRC), and the District Register of Citizens (DRC) will then be published as Final Updated SRC (NRC for the state).

References

1. "National Register of Citizens in Assam: Issue of illegal foreigners continues to be a major political one".
2. "Assam: Overhaul of National Register of Citizens sparks controversy".
3. "National Register of Citizens in Assam: Issue of illegal foreigners continues to be a major political one - The Economic Times". Economictimes.indiatimes.com. 2015-06-14. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
4. "Election Commission of India". Eci.nic.in. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
5. Bhardwaj, Sandeep (2014-04-13). "1971 India-Pakistan War: Genocide". Revisiting India. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
6. "Office of the State Coordinator of National Registration (NRC), Assam". Nrcassam.nic.in. 1971-03-24. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
7. "Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". Censusindia.gov.in. 2011-02-09. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
8. "The Citizenship Act, 1955" (PDF). Mha1.nic.in. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
9. "The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards" (PDF). Nrcassam.nic.in. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
10. "Foreigner Regional Registration Offices, FRRO Officer". Immihelp.com. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
11. "Revenue - Assam Online Portal". Online.assam.gov.in. 2013-07-19. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
12. "PRC - Government Of Assam, India". Assam.gov.in. 2012-04-10. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
13. "PEOPLE - Assam Online Portal". Online.assam.gov.in. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
14. "Office of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation Panbazar : Guwahati" (PDF). Online.assam.gov.in. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
15. "Land Records | Government of India, Department of Electronics and Information Technology". DeitY. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
16. "About NRC Update in Assam". Assams.info. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
17. "Office of the State Coordinator of National Registration (NRC), Assam". Nrcassam.nic.in. 2015-03-27. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
18. "Making democracy meaningful, Know our Representative & Candidate". Empowering India. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
19. "Office of the State Coordinator of National Registration (NRC), Assam". Nrcassam.nic.in. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
20. "The Citizenship Act, 1955" (PDF). Mha1.nic.in. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
21. "Ministry of Home Affairs : Notification" (PDF). Censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
22. "Office of the State Coordinator of National Registration (NRC), Assam". Nrcassam.nic.in. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
23. "Office of the State Coordinator of National Registration (NRC), Assam". Nrcassam.nic.in. Retrieved 2015-09-05.