Paragraph on NRC (National Register of Citizens)

NRC stands for the National Register of Citizens. It is register that maintains the database of every legal Indian citizen. NRC is prepared under the guidelines of the central government. NRC is implemented to separate legal citizens from illegal immigrants so that the latter could be deported to their country of origin.

Short and Long Paragraphs on NRC (National Register of Citizens)

Paragraph 1 – 100 Words

NRC is the abbreviation for the National Register of Citizens. It is a register that maintains the database of every citizen of the country. NRC is created from the NPR (National Population Register) which is the census that is carried out every ten years to ascertain the population of the country.

It must be well understood that NPR determines the total population residing in the country, also including illegal immigrants, the NRC, on the other hand, separates the legal citizens from illegal immigrants. However, NRC has been only affected in the state of Assam beginning in 2013.

Paragraph 2 – 120 Words

The Citizenship Rules 2003, empower the Government of India to issue orders for the preparation of the National Population Register (NPR) and thereby create an NRC (National Register of Citizens) based on the NPR data. The 2003 Amendment of the 1955 Citizenship Act also gives the power to local authorities to decide whether the name of a person is to be included in NRC or not, based on his/her credentials.

So far NRC has been implemented only in the state of Assam. The state of Assam shares an international border with Bangladesh and has long been suffering from the problem of illegal immigration. It is with the prime objective of segregating Indian citizens and illegal immigrants that NRC was implemented in the state of Assam.

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Paragraph 3 – 150 Words

NRC stands for the National Register of Citizens, which is a register containing the names and vital information of the legal citizens of India. At present NRC has been implemented only in the state of Assam to deal with the problem of illegal immigration in the state. Assam shares border with Bangladesh and since independence has been at the helm of illegal immigration from there. The illegal immigration has long been opposed by several sections in Assam.

The Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act 1983 passed by the Parliament in the Prime Ministership of Indira Gandhi, had been providing safe haven to the illegal immigrants in Assam. The IMDT Act, however, was struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2005. After which the Government agreed to update the NRC for the state of Assam. The finally updated NRC was produced under the supervision of the Supreme Court on 31st August 2019.

Paragraph 4 – 200 Words

In its spirit and word NRC (National Register of Citizens) is an official record of legal Indian citizens. It contains essential information of all legal citizens as per the provisions laid by the Citizenship Act of 1955. The NRC database has only been maintained for the state of Assam.

On 20th November 2019, the Union Home Minister of India gave a statement in the Parliament that the Government is willing to extend NRC to the entire country. NRC in a way will act like a document for the government to identify illegal immigrants and deport them to their country of origin.

So far there has not been any official confirmation by the government about the implementation of NRC to other parts of the country. However, one thing is very clear, that if a nationwide implementation of NRC is carried out, it will be under the guidance of the central government. Though no guidelines on NRC have been issued so far by the government; it has sparked fear among minorities.

Some political factions are spreading lies and projecting NRC as anti-minority, thereby instigating fear and unrest. The NRC is also seen together with the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and there is a fear that Indian Muslims might become illegal immigrants if they failed to produce documents.

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Paragraph 5 – 250 Words

The NRC (National Register of Citizens) has so far been implemented only in the state of Assam. The government of India plans to extend the exercise to other states as well. In simple terms, NRC is a list of all the legal citizens of India, excluding those who have migrated from neighboring countries.

There are certain criteria defined to include a person’s name in the NRC. Like in Assam, if any of the family members of the applicant have their names in the first 1951 NRC then they will be included in the records. The applicant also has the option to produce any of the following documents to get their names included in the NRC –

• Refugee registration certificate.
• Certificate of citizenship.
• Record of land or tenancy.
• Birth Certificate
• Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) policy.
• Passport
• Any license or certificate issued by the government.
• Certificate of employment by the government.
• Educational Certificates.

If a person fails to produce the relevant documents, then he/she won’t be straightaway declared an illegal immigrant. Such a person will be given a chance to present their case to the foreigners’ tribunals. Having failed the case in foreigners’ tribunal, such a person has an option to move to the High court and then to the Supreme Court of India.

The state government of Assam has very clearly stated that it will not declare any person a foreigner until the same is established by the foreigners’ tribunal. There is absolutely no reason for the legal citizens of India to be fearful of getting persecuted.

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