NPR, NRC update

By our Reporter

SHILLONG, MAR 17: Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma today said the absence of the National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizen (NRC) exercises make it difficult to confirm between an Indian national and a foreigner.

“We talked about dealing with illegal immigration of foreigners in a country having 125 crore population but irony is we are yet to even have the National Register of Citizens,” Sangma told the Assembly.

In his supplementary reply, Sangma said that in the absence of the whole exercise it becomes difficult on how to legally verify as to “who is an Indian citizen and who is not”.

HSPDP chief Ardent M Basaiawmoit while raising a supplementary query demanded the government to clear its stand in respect to the recent amendment brought by the Centre.

Alleging that whole exercise of the amendment was to pave way for Hindus persecuted outside to get rehabilitated in India, Basaiawmoit said there is a lot of protest because the population of the local indigenous will be threatened.

Prior to the NRC, Sangma said the NPR is required, which will enable to have a proper record of Indian nationals as it also provides classification of different categories of people.

“Once we have the NPR then we will know which are the category of people that constitutes the population…this is the first step which has to be completed and next comes the NRC,” he added.

The chief minister lamented that this could not be taken up because of the apprehension expressed from different quarters adding due to this the state is not able to arrive at a collective decision in completing the NPR.

Stating there is complete clarity on the part of the state government, he said, “We are moving with utmost caution and commitment and therefore we will need to further discuss and further engage on the approach.”

Earlier in his reply to the principal question, the state home minister HDR Lyngdoh denied that it was a fact that the Assam government has conducted the NRC enrollment in areas falling under Meghalaya.

When HSPDP legislator PK Pangniang brought to the notice of the House that such exercise is allegedly being conducted by Assam government, Lyngdoh replied that the state government is not aware.

The home minister however admitted that there are some residents in Assam who have produced documents from Meghalaya, which Assam has sent to the state for authentication.