Lok Sabha Question No. 1264 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-09
Subject: NRC in Assam
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Abdul Khaleque, Gaurav Gogoi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1264

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 09 TH  FEBRUARY, 2021/ MAGHA 20, 1942 (SAKA)

NRC IN ASSAM

1264. SHRI ABDUL KHALEQUE: SHRI GAURAV GOGOI:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) the status of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam following its publication in 2019 and the time by which it is likely to be finalized;

(b)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  delay  in  issuance  of  rejection slips, which prevents the excluded people from taking judicial recourse;

(c) whether the Government has taken any steps to expedite the grievance redressal for the  people excluded in the draft NRC and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether there are genuine Indian citizens who have been left out of the NRC List  or  could  not  even  apply  for  the  same  because  of  lack  of  valid documents which got destroyed due to various calamities and migration due to natural calamities in the State;

(e)  if  so,  the  number  of  persons  who  have  been  left  out  due  to  lack  of document; and

(f) the remedial measures taken by the Government in this regard?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI NITYANAND RAI)

(a): On the direction of the Hon'ble Supreme Court, the hard copies of the supplementary list of inclusions and online family-wise list of exclusions have been published on 31st August, 2019. The Hon'ble Supreme Court has

## L.S.US.Q.NO.1264 FOR 09.02.2021

directed the State Coordinator to enact an appropriate security regime on lines  similar  to  the  security  regime  provided  for  AADHAR  data  and  only thereafter the list of inclusions and exclusions shall be made available to the State Government, Central Government and Registrar General of India.

(b): The Hon'ble Supreme Court vide its order dated 08.05.2018 allowed the  State  Coordinator  for  developing  a  system  to  provide  reasons  of rejection without bringing the same in the public domain so as to protect the  privacy  of  the  applicant(s).  Due  to  outbreak  of  Covid-19  and  flood situation, the process of issuing rejection slips has been postponed.

(c) to (f): NRC in Assam is an application based process. Each applicant is mandatorily required to furnish a documentary proof of residence of self or the ancestors (legacy person) in Assam or any other part of India on or before the cut-off date, through one of the stipulated legacy documents. A total  number  of  19,06,657  persons  are  not  found  eligible  for  inclusion  in the NRC list published on 31st August, 2019. Any person not satisfied with the decisions for inclusion of name  may  prefer  appeal  before  the designated  Tribunal  constituted  under  the  Foreigners  (Tribunals)  Order, 1964.   The  period of  appeal  has been  increased from 'Sixty days' to 'One

hundred  and  twenty  days'  for  preferring  appeal  before  the  designated Tribunal  with  effect  from  21 st   August,  2019.    200  Appellate  Foreigners Tribunals (FTs) in addition to the existing 100 FTs have been established in 2019. State Government of Assam has made necessary arrangements to provide legal aid to the needy people amongst those excluded from final NRC  by  providing  all  assistance  through  the  District  Legal  Services Authorities.

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