National Population Register: All you need to know

What is NPR?

National Population Register (NPR) is a record of the 'usual citizens' of India, which is done under the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003 read with the Citizenship Act. It is a "comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country".

According to Kiren Rijiju's Rajya Sabha reply in 2014, "The NPR is the first step towards the creation of National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) by verifying the citizenship status of every usual resident."

It is mandatory to register every citizen of India in the NPR and issue a national identity card.

Who is a 'usual citizen'?

As per NPR, a usual resident one who has resided in a local area for the past six months or more, or a person who wishes to stay in that area for the upcoming six months. This can apply both for Indian and foreign citizens.

When and where will NPR be exercised?

NPR was done first in the year 2010 along with the house-listing phase of the 2011 Census, and again in 2015.

In 2015, the NPR was linked to the NPR the Aadhaar. In order to clarify that NPR and Aadhaar under the same concept, the Centre clarified in Lok Sabha in a statement saying, "The need to create a National Population Register (NPR) stems from the assessment of the Government of the internal security situation in the country. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), on the other hand, is issuing Unique Identification Numbers (called Aadhaar numbers) to all residents as a developmental initiative."

NPR will be done in all states and Union Territories of the country, except Assam, since a National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise is already done in the state. Post the Cabinet clearance, NPR data will be updated along with the house-listing phase of Census 2021 from April-September 2020.

Who conducts the NPR registration process?

The exercise is done under the aegis of the Registrar General and ex-Officio Census Commissioner, India. NPR was done as a door to door survey in 2015.

For the next NPR exercise, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the NPR data could be submitted via a mobile app.

People who cannot access the app can submit information on a prescribed form.

What are the details required for NPR registration?
An individual will require the following details for registering as a 'usual resident':
Name of person
Relationship to head of household
Father’s name
Mother’s name
Spouse’s name (if married)
Sex
Date of Birth
Marital status
Place of birth
Nationality (as declared)
Present address of usual residence
Duration of stay at present address
Permanent residential address
Occupation/Activity
Educational qualification

What are the documents needed for NPR?

"It is a self-declaration. No document is required. No proof is required. No biometric is required," Union I&B minister Prakash Javadekar said.

How is it different from the census?

The type and scale of data collection of census and NPR vary in many aspects.
Census includes demography, economic activity, literacy and education levels, housing and household amenities, fertility and mortality rates, languages spoken, religion, along with the rest of the important details.