MoS Nityanand Rai says NPR exercise to be carried out from April to September 2020

On Wednesday, the MoS for Home Nityanand Rai announced that the Centre had decided to prepare and update the population register from April to September 2020,  throughout the country except for Assam. Nityanand Rai announced that the NPR will be carried out along with House listing for the Census. He also stated that the requirement for the Aadhaar number under the National Population Register (NPR) is voluntary. 

Read: Opposition set to corner govt in Parliament over CAA, NPR and NRC

"The NPR exercise will be carried out across the country along with the house listing phase of the Census 2021, from April 2020 to September 2020. The NPR updation will be undertaken through the house to house enumeration for collection of specified particulars relating to each family and individual. The respondent has to provide the information true to the best of his knowledge and belief Aadhar Number is collected voluntarily," said MoS Nityanand Rai. 

Read: CM Mamata beats NPR wardrum: 'Don't show documents until and unless I tell you directly'

'No document will be collected for NPR' 

The MoS also clarified that the NPR will not require the person to submit any documentation. "No document is to be collected during the updation of NPR," he said. A few weeks ago, the Union Home Ministry had stated that the pre-test form of the National Population Register (NPR) had been drafted. Sources in the Home Ministry had claimed that the NPR form is likely to have around 21 questions. 

Read: CPI(M) to launch anti-NRC and NPR door-to-door campaign from February 4

"The government will not ask any documents to show to the enumerators but one would be asked to give their Adhaar number, voter ID number, Driving license number, etc to fill in NPR," an MHA official said."

The MHA had also revealed that every household head will have to sign the NPR document, which says that the information given by him is to the best of his knowledge. In case of any wrong information, there is a provision of imposing a penalty of up to Rs 1000 in NPR as well as in the Census. 

Read: NPR pretest draft has 21 questions, Rs 1000 misinformation fine; no docs reqd: MHA sources