NPR Full Form

Full Form of NPR

NPR stands for National Population Register. Every nation has its specific set of laws and policies about citizenship, and India is no exception. One needs to meet some specific criteria and fulfil the given requirements to attain the status of a citizen in India. The current Government of India announced a recent initiative to record the Usual Residents of India in a location. Every resident needs to provide the Government with the required proof of citizenship and register as a Usual Resident.

According to the Government of India, the primary reason behind the citizenship drive is to obtain an estimated number of residents in a locality. This data will further help the State to assess the amount of government aid and facilities that the Government must allocate in that area. The National Population Register is different from the Census based on its recording. While Census records every resident in India, NPR only deals with the residents that fulfil the criteria of being an Indian Citizen or a Usual Resident.

Criteria to be a usual resident of India

The National Population Register records the data of the usual residence of a locality. One can attain the status of a usual resident in one of two ways:

• The resident must possess documents proving that they have resided in the area for more than six months in the past.
• The resident must produce data proving that they are willing to reside in that specific local area for more than six months in the future.

If a resident succeeds in proving the authenticity of their claims of being a usual resident of a specific area, their registration in the NPR will be successful.

Information Conducted Under the National Population Register

The NPR will contain the basic demographic information of the registered residents. This information will include the following:

• The name of the person under consideration
• The relationship of the person with the head of the household
• Father’s name and mother’s name of the residents
• If the person is married, the name of their spouse is mandatory as well
• The gender, date and place of birth, the marital status, and the present address of the usual resident
• The nationality of the resident and the duration of their stay at the present address
• Their educational qualification, occupation, and their permanent residential address

Documents required to complete NPR

No official documents or biometrics are involved in the registration of NPR. The Ministry of Home Affairs has declared that all the information recorded in NPR will be self-attested. However, identification documents like Aadhaar cards and Passports might become mandatory for data submission.

If any participant refuses to provide the information, the officers have the right to impose a penalty of INR 1000 on that individual. A penalty of INR 1000 is also applicable in cases where a respondent provides wrong information in any field. The States run several pre-tests to analyse the willingness of people to share their Aadhaar, Voter ID, or PAN number with government officials. The results showed that people are willing to share their passport details, driving licence, voter ID, and Aadhaar number. However, many are reluctant to share their PAN number. This dilemma eventually led to eliminating the PAN number from the criteria.

NPR and Census

NPR and Census are simultaneous but different population records. The database of the two population registers is also very different, even though their commencement took place together. Census deals with every residence of India regardless of their citizenship status. On the other hand, NPR strictly records genuine citizens of India and their children or descendants.

Census is an essential tool that monitors the growth of India as a nation. It evaluates the ongoing government skills and assesses the future possibilities for the country. Census also includes detailed data like literacy rates in different areas and the gender ratio. On the other hand, NPR only deals with the residency status in a specific area. It is a highly quantitative number, while Census is a detailed qualitative element.

Conclusion

NPR is a very significant step in the political history of India. The register changed the way citizenship was perceived in the country. In spite of the protests and the opposition, the bill successfully attained the support of both Houses in the Indian polity.

National Population Register was also the first register in India that focused on the residential status of an individual. The bill introduced the concept of genuine citizenship. The potential utility of the bill is very high considering the information recorded.