The Government of India has not yet taken any decision to prepare a National Register of Indian Citizens, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, 30 November.
In response to a question asked by Congress MP Hibi Eden, the Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said:
“Till now, the Government has not taken any decision to prepare National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) at the national level.”
Meanwhile, the Assam NRC list was published on 31 August 2019.
The Union Minister of State also said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019 was notified on 12 December 2019 and had come into force on 10 January 2020. He also added that people covered under the CAA may apply for citizenship after the CAA rules have been notified.
Context
The passing of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and suggestions of a nationwide NRC saw lakhs of protesters taking to the streets across India in late 2019 and early 2020 to emphatically question their constitutionality.
Other Revelations from MOS Rai's Answers in the Lok Sabha
The answers given by MOS Rai to MP Hibi Eden’s questions also included the following revelations:
A total of 1,546 people applied for Indian citizenship in 2020.
A total of 639 people were granted citizenship in India in 2020.
The number of actual recent applicants seeking citizenship from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are:
Bangladesh
2019: 37
2020: 28
Pakistan
2019: 3,095
2020: 1,135
Afghanistan
2019: 364
2020: 55
Context
The CAA proposes to provide a fast-track route to citizenship for non-Muslim communities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
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