Why in News?

• The Kerala Government has recently decided to put on hold to all proceedings for updating the National Population Register (NPR).

About NPR:

• It is a Register of usual residents of the country.
• It is being prepared at the local (Village/sub-Town), sub-District, District, State and National level under provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
• It is mandatory for every usual resident of India to register in the NPR.
• A usual resident is defined for the purposes of NPR as a person who has resided in a local area for the past 6 months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next 6 months or more.
• To create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country.

What does NPR consists of?

• The NPR database would contain demographic as well as biometric details.
• As per the provisions of the NPR, a resident identity card (RIC) will be issued to individuals over the age of 18.
• This will be a chip-embedded smart card containing the demographic and biometric attributes of each individual.
• The UID number will also be printed on the card.

What is the Controversy Around It?

• It comes in the backdrop of the NRC which excludes lakhs of people in Assam.
• It intends to collect a much larger amount of personal data on residents of India.
• There is yet no clarity on the mechanism for protection of this vast amount of data.

Significance of the Data:

• Every country must have a comprehensive identity database of its residents with relevant demographic details. It will help the government formulate its policies better and also aid national security.
• It will ease the life of those residing in India by cutting red tape. Not only will it help target government beneficiaries in a better way, but also further cut down paperwork and red tape in a similar manner that Aadhaar has done.
• With NPR data, residents will not have to furnish various proofs of age, address and other details in official work.
• It would also eliminate duplication in voter lists, Government Insists.