Home Ministry contemplating Assam like NRC in all states

New Delhi: Amid Intelligence input suggesting that a large number of people have migrated from Assam to different parts of the country since the commencement of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state in 2015, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is contemplating a similar process for all states.

Highly placed source in the Home Ministry told UNI that a proposal was being examined by the ministry for ‘Assam-like NRC’ for all the states and the Union Territories.

The  proposal comes as the reports of Intelligence agencies indicated that a large number of people who possess valid voter ID cards and other identity documents but have been unable to provide legacy proof have migrated to different parts of the country from Assam since 2015.

“The intelligence reports suggest that that majority of them migrated to such states where construction workers are high in demand including Andhra Pradesh, National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi, Karnataka, Maharastra,” a government functionary said.

The officials of the security establishment feels that the government may not have to  face much trouble  in initiating such exercise in other states which has turned to be  ‘challenging and complex’ in Assam.

Sources in the MHA, however, noted that a final decision on preparing NRC in other states is yet to be taken. In the meantime the immediate concern is to take a decision on the fate of those, who face the possibility of being declared “illegal foreigners” in Assam, they added.

Meanwhile in Assam, where the final draft of the NRC left out names of 40.07 lakh people out of the 3.29 crore applicants, the MHA is also  working out a strategy to initiate the idea of issuing a  ‘biometric work permit’ to all those, who may at a  later stage be declared ‘illegal migrants’ after the publication of final NRC.

“The idea has been mooted while realising that it would be almost next to impossible to physically deport such a large number of people to their identified country of origin,” the official said.

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a record of all legal citizens in Assam. The first list of NRC was created way back in 1951. During the anti-illegal foreigners’ movement in Assam in 1980, demands were raised to update the list.

The Registrar General of India, under Supreme Court’s monitoring,  released the final ‘draft’ of the Assam NRC on July 31 in which names of 2.89 crore out of 3.29 crore applicants were included, but 40 lakh people could not find mention. Those leftout of the NRC final draft now face a nearly month-long process, of claims and objections to the draft that starts from August 30. (UNI)