Proposed NPR will be “almost the same” as one in 2010: Modi Cabinet minister

The proposed National Population Register would be almost the same as the one in 2010, with some more details being sought to implement welfare measures, Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said here on Monday. “Almost the same. NPR means Census. Census means NPR. There are no changes. The usefulness in Census,(we are) taking some more details for welfare activity, he told reporters here in reply to a question.

Reddy, who took part in a pro-CAA event organised by BJP here, also said no individual would be troubled and details of Aadhaar card, properties and bank accounts were not necessary under NPR. He said the population census would be conducted from February 9 to 28, while that for housing data would be from April to September 2020.

The census and NPR would be done simultaneously by enumerators using mobile apps in smartphones. Using the data, the centre and states can implement their schemes, he said. The data would also be used to determine whether to increase or decrease SC/ST reservations and decide on delimitation of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies,he said. Delimitation of LS constituencies to be done in 2026 would be based on data obtained from the 2021 census, he said.

Asked what action government would take if some states do not implement NPR, he said, “This is a constitutional obligation to take up the Census and NPR. NPR was initiated by the Congress Government.. But some people are spreading a malafide campaign that people will be kept in detention centres and jails”, he said.

Reddy sought to knowwhy AIMIM had not objected when the Telangana government conducted an integrated family survey on a single-day day, in which details, including Aadhar, those related to religion, house and bank accounts were included. He also said he would like to inform Congress leader Rahul Gandhi there was nothing against any religion in the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Launching a broadside on Congress, he charged the opposition party with indulging in politics on the CAA issue. “…Congress is misleading… doing politics,making wrong use (of CAA) to halt development, to halt our work to make the (country) an economic superpower of 5 trillion Dollars,” he said. He said any ordinary BJP worker would be ready for a debate with Rahul Gandhi at any stage or place on the issue and said the Congress leader what was there in CAA. Reddy said Congress had tried to indulge in politics in the last 70 years by dividing the country on communal lines. There was not even a word in the CAA against Indian Muslims orpeople of other religions and people of the minority community had nothing to fear, he said.

Addressing the gathering at a pro-CAA event earlier,he said at a time when the Modi government was trying to develop the country and make it a USD five trillion economy, foreign and swadeshi forces were trying to incite violence by “provoking communal ill-feelings by having a tacit understanding, unable to see India develop. He sought to know why Rahul Gandhi, Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao and other leaders were silent when public property was damaged and policemen attacked in the protests.

On damage to public and private properties in the anti-CAA protests,he referred to the Uttar Pradesh government’s action to recover the damages from the rioters and said it should be emulated everywhere.

When told that some angles pointing to the involvement of some organizations had emerged, vis–vis theviolence in Mangaluru, where two people were killed in police firing, he said it was state governments’ responsibility to probe such incidents as law and order purely comes under their purview.

He said attempts had been made to provoke people everywhere and information received from states was that it was all pre-planned. “But it is the responsibility of state governments to probe and find out who is behind that.Law and order comes purely under the state governments, he said. The Congress had tried to make an issue out of alleged lapses in security to the Gandhi family, he said it was the responsibility of the (central) government to provide security to them, as to all citizens. After breaking security cover and going wherever they wished to, they could not question about it, he said.

Source: Financial Express