Assam Publishes National Register of Citizens, Over 40 Lakh Of 3.29 Crore Applicants Excluded From List

The final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) published a little while ago excludes the names of a little over 40 lakh of the 3.29 crore people who had applied for inclusion. However, as the Union and state governments have repeatedly stated, the excluded people will not be deemed to be illegal migrants automatically and will have a month to file claims and objections. They will continue to enjoy the same rights as all citizens of the country and will not be sent to detention camps.

A total of 3,29,91,384 people had applied for the inclusion of their names in the NRC, which was last prepared in 1961. The NRC updation exercise, mandated by the Supreme Court, began in Assam in 2015 and has so far cost Rs 1220 crore. In the first draft of the NRC published on 31 December last year, names of 1.9 crore applicants were listed as citizens. The final draft published at 10 am today has the names of 2,89,83,667 people.

Over 55,000 state government employees had toiled over the last three years to verify all the claims. All the applicants had to submit proof of their names or the names of their parents figuring in the 1951 electoral rolls in the state or proof that they were in Assam before 24 March, 1971--the cut-off date for identification of foreigners in Assam as agreed to under the 1985 Assam Accord.