Published 11:31 IST, November 29th 2019
Assam Fin Min alleges 'huge scam in NRC process; several irregularities found'
Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made a serious allegation against the NRC system & said that a huge financial scam took place in the update process.
On Thursday, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made a serious allegation against the National Register of Citizens (NRC) system and said that a huge financial scam took place in the NRC update process. Talking about the irregularities in the NRC system, he said that the process of finding irregularities in the NRC is over and soon the government is all set to make the data public. Sharma further informed that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had found up to 16 instances of "financial irregularities" while going through the papers and functioning of the NRC office.
"An inspection report by the Accountant General of Assam confirms that a huge financial scam took place in the NRC update process. We did not make it public while the NRC update process was underway as it could have affected the process," Sarma told media.
Row over NRC in Assam
On Thursday, the Congress party had staged a walkout from the Assam Assembly demanding suspension of the question hour and to hold a discussion on Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). The main opposition party in the house not only walked out but also staged a sit-in demonstration in the lobby. A few of the MLAs also slept on the floor during the protests. The final NRC list, which validates bonafide Indian citizens of Assam, was released on August 31. Of the 3,30,27,661 people who had applied to be included in the NRC, the list excluded names of over 19 lakh.
Amit Shah addresses the NRC and CAB
Speaking at the ‘Republic Summit 2019’, Union Home Minister Amit Shah responded to Republic Media Network’s Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami’s question on whether the National Register of Citizens (NRC) divides the Hindus and Non-Hindus. He said that the nationwide NRC will not cause a fight between Hindus and Muslims. Shah also mentioned that the Citizen Amendment Bill will take care of all the refugees who are willing to come to India. Shah also reiterated that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) would be implemented across India. He mentioned that it was not just his stance alone, but the stance of the government.
Updated 12:26 IST, November 29th 2019